Between power and process: legal and political control over (inter)national security

Abstract

Securing fair procedures in the realm of (inter)national security has historically been much more difficult than in other realms of administration. It is necessary to steer a course between the national and the international, and law and politics. Any conception of the relationship between these forums and values will have different consequences, both for institutions tasked with the protection of security, and for persons affected by sanctions. This review of Devika Hovell's The Power of Process: The Value of Due Process in Security Council Sanctions Decision-Making argues that the presence of binding legal rulings against the exercise of such power remains an essential complement to innovative political forms of control such as an international Ombudsperson.