ABSTRACT
The emergence of intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and transregionalism went hand in hand. They relate transregionalism to the capacity of institutions and persons to transcend and also transform given spatial categories, such as the ‘national’ and the ‘regional’. This chapter identifies moments and actors of transregionalism in the historical process of international organization. It portrays the evolution of the community of states, the institutionalization of cooperation, and the emergence of international secretariats. The evolution of states toward sovereign nation -states with clear borders and strong demands for national identities did not prevent the growth of multilateralism and international cooperation. An IGO is an institution created by states, who are very much aware of national interests, to solve certain transnational and international problems. Finding out how to do that depends not only on its founders and member states but also on the competence and creativity of the ‘international staff’.
