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.
Observes how the growth of the political authority of the Council challenges the basic idea that states have legal autonomy over their domestic affairs. The individual essays survey the implications that flow from these developments in the crucial policy areas of: terrorism; economic sanctions; the prosecution of war crimes; human rights; humanitarian intervention; and the use of force. In each of these areas, the evidence shows a complex and fluid relation between state sovereignty, the power of the United Nations, and the politics of international legitimation. Demonstrating how world politics has come to accommodate the contradictory institutions of international authority and international anarchy, this book makes an important contribution to how we understand and study international organizations and international law. Written by leading experts in the field, this volume will be of strong interest to students and scholars of international relations, international organizations, international law and global governance.
'This is a highly welcome volume by a distinguished group of scholars that provides a clear-eyed assessment of the workings of the UN Security Council. By marrying a thoroughgoing assessment of the concept of international authority, diverse theoretical perspectives, and a sharp understanding of the workings of the Security Council, this volume invites us to use the concept of authority to rethink what we think we know about the UN Security Council, and to use the UN Security Council to re-examine the nature of international authority.'
Michael Barnett, Harold Stassen Chair of International Relations, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs and adjunct professor of political science, University of Minnesota, USA
'A volume of thoughtful essays culminating in a stimulating chapter of conclusions by the editors.'
David M. Malone, author of The International Struggle over Iraq: Politics in the UN Security Council and High Commissioner of Canada, India
