Involving multiple parties, countries, or sides, especially in diplomatic, political, or business contexts. Refers to agreements, negotiations, or relationships that include three or more participants.
From multi- 'many' + lateral 'of or relating to the side,' from Latin latus 'side.' Coined in the early 20th century to describe international relations involving multiple nations, as opposed to bilateral (two-sided) or unilateral (one-sided) approaches.
The United Nations represents the world's largest multilateral organization, with 193 member countries working together on global issues. Multilateral trade agreements like NAFTA actually require more complex negotiations than bilateral ones because each additional party exponentially increases the number of relationships that need to be managed.
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