ABSTRACT
The growth of regional security institutions over the past half century or so looks impressive. Before the Second World War, there were few formal international institutions of any type and even fewer dealing explicitly with security matters: the main exception was the League of Nations. Since 1945 their numbers have grown steadily if unevenly, reflecting periods of growth and change in the international system. By 2010, of a growing array of intergovernmental regional organizations, nearly 40 included a commitment to security provision (Diehl 2005, Tavares 2010). Their distribution, though uneven, is global, encompassing Europe, Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the Middle East (see Table 24.1). When one considers that much earlier institutional growth was identified primarily with economic integration this is particularly notable. Also impressive is the wide scope of their activities reflecting how the term security itself has expanded to take in a variety of new tasks: from confidence-building measures and conflict prevention to peacekeeping and arms control.
