Major Powers and International Organizations; An Assessment of Developments in the Post-Cold War Era

International organizations, as an outcome of actions and reactions in international politics, law and community since their very inception in the Twentieth Century, have always been significantly susceptible to the impact of the relations among major powers. The critical impact of these powers on the dynamism and efficiency of international organizations has not been in doubt. This has also been the case during the post-Cold War era. This paper undertakes to assess the impact of the relations among major powers on international organizations in the period following the end of the Cold War? To answer this question, a conceptual framework for understanding developments in international organizations has been offered first. Then, changes in relations among major powers since the end of the Cold War have been discussed. And finally, the paper has turned to the assessment of the qualitative and quantitative developments in international organizations from the vantage point of relations among the major powers. As argued in the paper, changes in the quality of relations among the major powers in the post-Cold War era have ushered both horizontal and vertical development in international organizations, especially when compared to previous eras, and have as a consequence led them to play a more important role in international relations.