International institutions and their effectiveness is a highly controversial topic in political science. Realists such as John Mearsheimer argue that conflict will arise regardless of the existence and presence of international institutions as there is no enforcement mechanism to ensure that such issues don’t occur. While subscribers of liberalism such as Robert Keohane (and the authors of our textbook) argue that the existence of international institutions is effective as states care about their reputations and economic well-being. You are to read two articles, one by John Mearsheimer and the second by Robert Keohane and Lisa Martin. Consider the arguments of both articles, and state your opinion about which camp you agree with and why.
