Bilateralism

Concept Foreign Policy Preferred

Conduct of foreign relations through direct two-party dealings rather than through groups or institutions.

Independent referenceNot an official or legal definition
Sources citedSee the sources at the end of this page
Status Under reviewLast updated 11 October 2026
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Definition

In plain language

Bilateralism means countries deal with each other one on one, for example signing a treaty between two States, instead of working through a group such as the UN.

Academic definition

Bilateralism is the organisation of relations around separate two-party arrangements, in contrast to multilateralism, which Ruggie defined as coordinating relations among three or more States on the basis of generalised principles of conduct. States prefer bilateral deals when they have leverage or want tailored terms, but the approach can produce a patchwork of unequal and inconsistent arrangements. Many treaties, from boundary agreements to investment treaties and extradition treaties, are bilateral.

Classification

Term type
Concept
Category
Foreign Policy
Subject field
International Relations Theory
Subfield
Diplomatic Modes
Difficulty level
Beginner
Grammatical category
Noun

Language variants

Alternative terms
  • bilateral diplomacy
  • bilateral approach
Non-preferred terms
  • not_applicable
Abbreviations
  • not_applicable
Acronyms
  • not_applicable
Native terms
  • not_applicable
Transliteration
not_applicable
Pronunciation
not_applicable

Context

Legal effect: Not a Legal Term

Scope

Covers two-party approaches to diplomacy and treaty-making; regionalism, minilateralism and multilateralism are the main alternatives to it.

Legal context

Bilateral treaties follow the general law of treaties in the VCLT and bind only the two parties; there is no special legal regime for bilateralism as such.

Diplomatic context

Used in contrast with multilateral approaches, for example when a State prefers a bilateral trade deal to the WTO framework, or deals separately with each neighbour.

Institutional context

Practised through embassies, foreign ministries, joint commissions and summit meetings.

Historical context

Bilateral diplomacy dominated before the twentieth century and continues alongside the multilateral institutions created after 1945.

Why it matters

The choice between bilateral and multilateral approaches affects bargaining power, coverage and consistency of rules.

Usage

Register: Academic

Usage note

Use 'bilateral' as the adjective and 'bilateralism' for the approach.

Example

The government favoured bilateralism and signed separate defence agreements with each ally.

Example scenario

State A, unhappy with a stalled multilateral negotiation, signs separate trade agreements with State B and State C. Each has different tariffs, which suits State A but complicates trade between B and C.

Common misuse

Using it as meaning any agreement between two States; the term describes a policy approach, not just an instrument.

Not to be confused with

  • Multilateralism
  • Minilateralism
  • Unilateralism

Sources

  1. Multilateralism: The Anatomy of an Institution (Ruggie), International Organization, International Organization, not_found_in_source. not_found_in_source
  2. Official definition. not_found_in_source
  3. Treaty reference. not_found_in_source
  4. Keohane, Multilateralism: An Agenda for Research. not_found_in_source
  5. not_found_in_source. not_found_in_source

Source type: Academic. Source reliability: Academic.

This entry is an independent reference definition, not an official or legally binding text. Where an official definition exists, it is linked above and is authoritative. Read our methodology.

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