As global governance appears to become more inclusive and democratic,
many scholars argue that international institutions act as motors of
expansion and democratization. The Closure of the International System
challenges this view, arguing that the history of the international
system is a series of institutional closures, in which institutions such
as diplomacy, international law, and international organizations make
rules to legitimate the inclusion of some actors and the exclusion of
others. While international institutions facilitate collective action
and common goods, Viola's closure thesis demonstrates how these gains
are achieved by limiting access to rights and resources, creating a
stratified system of political equals and unequals. The coexistence of
equality and hierarchy is a constitutive feature of the international
system and its institutions. This tension is relevant today as
multilateral institutions are challenged by disaffected citizens,
non-Western powers, and established great powers discontent with the
distribution of political rights and authority.