Gaps in international regimesInternational regimes are overburdened with high expectations to deal with growing conflicts caused by the main actors in international relations. Their relative universality in relation to national governance leads the state to depend on international organizations, law and norms to combat the surmountable power of the main actors shaping global politics. Although regimes have the potential to shape and constrain the actions of key actors in international politics, their ability to actually do so is limited. The weak point of their power lies in their inability to enforce established agendas and the lack of tangible incentives for nations to conform to the norms and regulations that these agendas would impose. Although there are advantages for large states to comply with international regimes, for example by adding legitimacy to their actions or increasing the benefits of international cooperation, there inevitably come times when the advantages of non-compliance rules take precedence over those of collaboration in the eyes of the acting State. Whether advancing an agenda widely criticized by these international norms and laws, or protecting themselves from threats to their own sovereignty, key actors specifically have the capacity to make decisions outside the domain of regimes. As current world affairs demonstrate, they frequently take advantage of this power. Thus, international regimes have limited power to constrain key actors in international politics. The potential capabilities of regimes appear powerful, but do not extend viably to key actors in international relations. John Mearsheimer discusses the theory of liberal institutionalism in his article "The False Promise of the International......middle of article......laws and norms evolve naturally with equilibrium powers. In reality, the regimes are not keeping their promise to constrain the main actors in the field of international relations. Number of words: 1,499 works cited Herzenhorn, Mark Landler. “Faced with the military actions observed in Ukraine, Obama warns Russia. » The New York Times February 28, 2014: Print. Hoffmann, Stanley. “The Uses and Limits of International Law.” 146-51. Web. Keohane, Robert. “International institutions: can interdependence work? 151-58. Web.Mearsheimer, John J. “The False Promise of International Institutions.” Essential reading on world politics. 5th ed. WW Norton, 2014. 355-66. Print.Smale, Allison. “Russia is being ousted from the Group of 8 by the United States and its allies. » The New York Times March 24, 2014: Print.Stack, Liam. “Dozens of people have reportedly been arrested in Nigeria as part of the anti-gay crackdown. » The New York Times January 14. 2014.