Suchergebnisse

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

Internationale Organisationen und ihre Rolle in der Struktur des internationalen Systems hängen davon ab, wie sehr sie als legitim empfunden werden. Legitimität ist neben Eigennutz und Zwang der Hauptanreiz von Staaten den Regeln und Normen internationaler Organisationen zu folgen bzw. diese durchzusetzen. Der Autor erläutert den Begriff der Legitimität im Zusammenhang der internationalen Beziehungen am Beispiel von Nichteinmischungund staatlicher Souveränität. (SWP-PLB)

What motivates states to follow international norms, rules, and commitments? All social systems must confront what we might call the problem of social control—that is, how to get actors to comply with society's rules—but the problem is particularly acute for international relations, because the international social system does not possess an overarching center of political power to enforce rules. Yet, taken in balance with other values, a measure of order is a valued good. Some take this absence of centralized power to mean that the international system is like a Hobbesian state of nature, where only material power matters; others see it as evidence that international rules have force only when they are in the self-interest of each state. I show that these two conclusions are premature because of their shallow reading of international society and misinterpretation of the ways in which authority works in domestic society.

Bringing together a range of experts, this book examines the degree to which the UN Security Council is evolving into an international authority with the legitimacy to act on behalf of the international community on a wide range of global issues.

The Oxford Handbook of International Organizations provides an authoritative account of the law and politics of international organizations. Looking at the role, function, and history of organizations, this Handbook offers a wide ranging and thorough analysis of the area.

Virtually every important question of public policy today involves an international organization. From trade to intellectual property to health policy and beyond, governments interact with international organizations in almost everything they do. Increasingly, individual citizens are directly affected by the work of international organizations. Aimed at academics, students, practitioners, and lawyers, this book gives a comprehensive overview of the world of international organizations today. It emphasizes both the practical aspects of their organization and operation, and the conceptual issues that arise at the junctures between nation-states and international authority, and between law and politics. While the focus is on inter-governmental organizations, the book also encompasses non-governmental organizations and public policy networks. With essays by the leading scholars and practitioners, the book first considers the main international organizations and the kinds of problems they address. This includes chapters on the organizations that relate to trade, humanitarian aid, peace operations, and more, as well as chapters on the history of international organizations. The book then looks at the constituent parts and internal functioning of international organizations. This addresses the internal management of the organization, and includes chapters on the distribution of decision-making power within the organizations, the structure of their assemblies, the role of Secretaries-General and other heads, budgets and finance, and other elements of complex bureaucracies at the international level.