Legitimacy, Power, and the Symbolic Life of the UN Security Council

In: Global governance: a review of multilateralism and international organizations, Band 8, Heft 1, S. 35-51

Abstract

An examination of the nature of the UN Security Council's power notes that the UN Charter grants the Security Council vast formal powers but not the mechanisms to enact them. Therefore, the Council's power is contingent upon the legitimacy conferred upon it by relevant actors, & the esteem in which it is held by member states. A theory of legitimacy & symbolic power for international organizations is considered in light of three areas in which states compete for symbolic rewards: the agenda, membership, & peacekeeping. It is pointed out that legitimacy & authority are always contested, & the Security Council's symbolic capital is especially vital in the absence of unanimity. International actors fight over the deployment of symbols to further their political interests, & it is important to recognize that efforts to legitimize an institution invariably spawn counter efforts to de-legitimize it. Recent discussions about reforming the Council are examined to stress the significance of symbolic politics & the need for international organizations to consistently cultivate their legitimacy in order not to lose it. If the Security Council lost its legitimacy it would be forced to depend on coercion to wield power which would ultimately bring about its demise. J. Lindroth