AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF - Oregon State University.docVIP

INTRODUCTION The end of the Cold War radically realigned global politics and led to a renewed interest in transnational civil society. The new civil society that helped bring down the Soviet Empire has been considered a major enabling element for worldwide democratization. Simultaneously, social movements addressing issues such as the environment and human rights globalized and increased their prominence within civil society. Leading such movements were inter-governmental organizations (IGOs), like the United Nations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), like Amnesty International and Gr