Unilateralism in theory and practice

This article takes a pragmatic approach to unilateralism in international relations, first, by examining its possibilities and limits and, second, by assessing how unilateralism can deal with future challenges in the international system. Unilateralism in the sense of complete freedom of action without commitment to compromise or cooperation is largely counterproductive. The key question is, What is the mix of unilateral and multilateral elements that a given state chooses? Conditions of the international environment at the end of the twentieth century make even the most powerful state increasingly reliant on multilateral forms of action.