An approach to international politics in which a state seeks its goals through consultation and coordination with other states, usually in formally structured regional or international organizations like NATO or the United Nations. Close Window

An approach to trade policy focusing on multilateral negotiations (as opposed to bilateral negotiations or regional trade arrangements) as the most effective way of liberalizing trade in an interdependent global economy. Because concessions in one bilateral or regional deal may undermine concessions made to another trading partner in an earlier deal, basing a country's trade regime on a sequence of bilateral arrangements can be both technically demanding and politically divisive. In principle, multilateralism broadens the scope of possible deal-making by enabling "cross-trades" (e.g., concessions by country A that benefit country B, enabling country B to make concessions favoring country C, which then may be in a position to make concessions sought by country A.) In the absence of such cross-trades, liberalizing deals may be possible only if two countries each happen to be willing to offer the precise concessions that the other is seeking.

Groups of countries operating through international organizations and engaged in collective problem solving and problem resolution.