Norms Matter: Revisiting the ‘‘Failure’’ of Internationalism

Sofiul Ahmed

Abstract

Scholars often hold the view that standards either have little bearing on international politics or have a significant impact on it. But although the latter perspective poorly explains which norms matter, how they have an impact, and how much norm influence there is in comparison to other variables, the former view ignores significant impacts that norms may have. The impact of three distinct interwar conventions on the use of force during World War II varied. The cultures of the national military organizations that mediated the impact of the international standards provide the best explanation for the variation in state adherence to these norms. This approach emphasizes the difficulty and significance of assessing the relative consequences of the often-intersecting prescriptions ingrained in various forms of social collectivises.