8 GOALS OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION There is no doubt that the number of international organizations and their importance have grown in the 20th century. The various ideas about the proper and possible goals of IGOs can be grouped in two broad categories. One category includes relatively limited and traditional goals. The second category is much more far-reaching and foresees international organizations moving toward assuming the roles of regional governments or even a global government. Limited Goals and Activity of International organizations The aims and the roles of international organizations have, thus far in their evolution, been defined in limited, traditional ways. International organizations serve as an interactive arena, facilitate functional cooperation, promote comprehensive cooperation, and perform as independent international actors. Interactive Arena The most common use of international organizations is to provide an interactive arena in which member states pursue their individual national interests. The arena itself is technically neutral, but members or coalitions of members often try to use it to further their goals. This approach is rarely stated openly, but it is obvious in the smuggles within the UN and other IGOs, where countries and blocs of countries wage political struggles with vengeance. The use of supposedly integrative international organizations to gain national advantage is somewhat contradictory of the purpose of these organizations and has disadvantages. One negative factor is that it sometimes transforms these organizations into another scene of struggle rather than utilizing them to further cooperation. Furthermore, countries are apt to reduce or withdraw their support from an international organization that does not serve their narrow national interests. Functional Cooperation Another limited approach to international organization is functionalism, a '"bottom up," evolutionary approach to international cooperation.