  International Institutions have acquired political authority over the last half century or so.  They are quite diverse in character.  For some, their authority has a somewhat different form than the authority associated with the organs of the state.  And the grounds of the authority of international institutions may be distinct as well. Overall, these are complex institutions with a number of parts and so different principles may apply to the different parts.  For example, with regard to the World Trade Organization, some principle of state consent may be the ultimate basis of the legitimacy of its law making function, while a very different kind of standard would be relevant to judging the legitimacy of the dispute settlement mechanism.