The UN and the ICC: Learning to interact

As theories on Inter-Organizational Relations (IOR) tell us, when two International Organizations (IOs) are active in the same policy domain, they are forced to interact leading to a relationship that exists on a continuum between conflict and cooperation. This paper argues that international bureaucracies play an underappreciated role in determining which relationship manifests itself. It builds on existing theories to propose that the degree of formal and informal networks, common problem analyses, and member state support are key in affecting where the inter-organizational relationship will fall on the continuum between cooperation and conflict. It tests this theory through two within-case comparisons, one of the relations between the UN and the ICC in two moments in time and one between NATO and the EU in two moments of time. These case studies are selected on the basis of their variance on the explanatory and outcome conditions. At the same time, they are least-likely cases for the influence of international bureaucrats because they operate in the difficult domains of security and law. By comparing these different case studies, the paper will contribute to our understanding of the IOR between IOs and highlight the role of international bureaucracies in this area.