This is an important book on an extremely important topic. In clear and engaging prose, Hurd examines legitimacy's role in shaping politics in a premier political forum--the United Nations Security Council. He shows us how legitimacy works on the ground in UN politics and the ways it has changed both the UN and world affairs. Hurd has a good nose for theoretical puzzles and is both creative and fearless about following through the implications of what he uncovers. -- Martha Finnemore, author of" The Purpose of Intervention" Ian Hurd's book is informative and insightful, scholarly in its treatment of the subject, and significant in its conclusions. It is the best study that I know of how norms of legitimacy work in international institutions. -- Michael Doyle, Columbia University Hurd's book is remarkable: concise, crisp, substantively compelling, serene in tone, generous in argument and ... jargon-free... Strongly recommended both for teaching and for the expansion of personal horizons on these important issues. -- David M. Malone, author of The "International Struggle over Iraq"
Preface vii Chapter One: Introduction 1 LEGITIMACY IN THEORY Chapter Two: A Theory of Legitimacy 29 Chapter Three: Legitimacy, Rationality, and Power 66 LEGITIMACY IN PRACTICE Chapter Four: San Francisco, 1945 83 Chapter Five: Blue Helmets and White Trucks 111 Chapter Six: Libya and the Sanctions 137 CONCLUSIONS Chapter Seven: Legitimacy and Sovereignty 173 Epilogue 194 References 197 Index 213
Ian Hurd is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University.
Scholars do not fully understand the sources of legitimacy in world affairs or how it shapes and constrains what leaders do, but this book provides important insights by looking closely at one particular site of international authority: the United Nations Security Council. -- G. John Ikenberry Foreign Affairs Hurd explores the intricate relationship between legitimacy and authority in world politics through an empirical study of the UN Security Council. He provides readers a most thoughtful discussion of the concept of legitimacy, explaining what it is, what it is not, and how it is exercised in world politics. -- J.R. Strand Choice Ian Hurd's new book provides a vital contribution to the discussion with a well-specified model of legitimacy that balances a subjective, psychological definition with a structural account of legitimacy's effects. -- C. Cora True-Frost Political Science Quarterly The book succeeds in its main theoretical objective, which is to show how constructivism and rational choice can be complementary. As such, it is essential reading for those who seek a more nuanced understanding of how social facts work in international politics. -- Jennifer M. Welsh International History Review [T]his highly sophisticated analysis adds greatly to the literature in this field. -- Aidan Hehir European Legacy Ian Hurd has made an important contribution ot the discourse on international relations with his book. -- Patrick Kubart Journal of International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict
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