International regimes

International regimes may be defined as “sets of implicit or explicit principles,

norms, rules and decision–making procedures around which actors’ expectations
converge in a given area of international relations.” Principles define the purposes
that members are expected to pursue. Rules indicate the specific rights and
obligations of member states. Norms establish standards of behavior. The
decision-making procedures of regimes provide ways of implementing the
principles and altering their rules. Basically, international regimes serve to
prescribe and proscribe certain state actions, creating duties and obligations
without a hierarchical legal system.