Parliament
Every member of the Alliance sends and ambassador to the Alliance to participate in the Alliance Assembly, which is the governing body for the Alliance in most matters. The President of the Alliance and the Advisory Board handle military and technology matters. The President of the Alliance keeps order in the Assembly and may break tie votes in the Assembly.

The Advisory Board originally consisted of representatives of three major powers: the Centauri, the Minbari and the Narn. Since then, the seat occupied by Centauri Prime Minister (now Emperor) Mollari became vacant in the wake of charges that the Centauri were raiding Alliance transports. When Prime Minister Mollari returned to Centauri Prime, Citizen G'Kar vacated his seat to join him. Of the original three Board members, only Minbari Ambassador Delenn remains. The two vacant seats have not yet been filled.

The nature of the Interstellar Alliance precludes it from adopting any religious beliefs. The exception to this is the Rangers. The Minbari established the Rangers after the previous Shadow War 1000 years ago. The Minbari traditions are still in use even though all Alliance races may send recruits to the Rangers. All Rangers are exposed to Minbari religious tradition during training. Rangers routinely close communications with the Minbari phrase "In Valen's name."

The Interstellar Alliance has no society because it is an organization of governments. Everyone who works in the Alliance belongs to one of its member governments.

The Interstellar Alliance has control over the White Star-class ship, which is a fusion of Minbari and Vorlon technology. The Whitestars were originally built for the Shadow War, but they also formed the nucleus of John Sheridan's rebel fleet in the Earth Alliance Civil War. The Whitestars were built using a combination of Minbari technology and Vorlon organic technology. The IA station Babylon 5 was originally built by the Earth Alliance and continues to use EA weapons and fighters.

The nature of the IA precludes the need for a formal army, but it does control the Rangers, who man the Whitestars and perform most military and intelligence tasks for the Alliance. The Rangers are expertly trained in Minbari fighting arts, but are too few to constitute a true army.

The Interstellar Alliance is heavily supported by the Minbari Federation and has access to the full range of Minbari technology. The IA's Whitestar ships are considered the most advanced ships in the galaxy. The IA has limited command of the Vorlon organic technology that is used in creating a Whitestar's hull, but does not understand how it works.

As a peacekeeping measure, the Interstellar Alliance facilitates technology transfers from the more advanced members to the less-advanced. Members receive advanced technology only so long as they adhere to the principles of the Alliance. Some races join the Alliance with the expectation that they will be able to turn the new technology to their benefit in war against their neighbors.