The idea of global governance is based on the formation of an international society, which consists of nation states that aim at forming global institutions and following global practices. The process of globalization of an international society includes reflective universalism that embodies state-society relations around the world. These interactions involve not only the formation of universal values and norms, but also common practices aiming at creating a peaceful world order. This is universalism.

“Universalism is a theme prominently associated with the modern world-system. It is in many ways one of its boasts. Universalism means in general the priority to general rules applying equally to all persons, and therefore the rejection of particularistic preferences in most spheres. The only rules that are considered permissible within the framework of universalism are those which can be shown to apply directly to the narrowly defined proper functioning of the world-system” .

On the other hand, regionalism is a theory or practice of the integration process, which coordinates social, economic, and political activities within a specific geographical location embodying a number of states.  Regionalism is considered as a supplement of, rather than an alternative to, the universal and global integration process. Regional institutional establishments, in fact, emerged as a result of the inadequacy of the universal approach for taking effective actions to address the world’s problems