ABSTRACT
By all accounts there has been an explosion in regional agreements since the end of the Cold War, as states try to defend themselves in a world increasingly fragmented, competitive, and yet connected (Fawcett 2004). It may be premature to speak of an international system of regions replacing the international system of states but, by the end of 2008, the World Trade Organization had been notified of 421 regional agreements, of which 230 were in force. 1 There are now more regional agreements in force than states.
