At a time when the world faces a number of complex problems that transcend national borders and which individual states appear unable to address on their own, multilateralism ought to matter more than ever. All too often, however, attempts to encourage collaborative and effective responses to transnational problems are unable to overcome national interests, or lack the capacity to address novel challenges that defy easy resolution. Despite the urgent need for international cooperation, it is often conspicuous by its absence and it is not unreasonable to ask, does multilateralism really matter anymore? We argue that it does, if only because, there is no alternative. To illustrate multilateralism's weaknesses and potential strengths we provide a novel comparison of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Arctic Council, which reveals the importance of history, diplomatic styles, the significance of issue areas, and the motivations of members. The two bodies literally and metaphorically illustrate developments in the North and South, and provide a novel and revealing benchmark for measuring the success of multilateral bodies at different moments in history.

中文翻译：

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多边主义仍然重要吗？比较视角下的东盟和北极理事会

在世界面临许多超越国界的复杂问题且个别国家似乎无法自行解决的时候，多边主义应该比以往任何时候都更加重要。然而，鼓励合作和有效应对跨国问题的尝试常常无法克服国家利益，或者缺乏应对难以解决的新挑战的能力。尽管迫切需要国际合作，但往往因缺席而引人注目，不无道理地问，多边主义真的不再重要了吗？我们认为它确实如此，如果仅仅是因为没有其他选择的话。为了说明多边主义的弱点和潜在优势，我们对东南亚国家联盟 (ASEAN) 和北极理事会进行了新颖的比较，这揭示了历史的重要性、外交风格、问题领域的重要性以及成员的动机。这两个机构从字面上和隐喻上说明了北方和南方的发展，并为衡量多边机构在历史不同时刻的成功提供了一个新颖而具有启发性的基准。