New Book: The Law and Politics of International Legitimacy
The concept of legitimacy in international politics and global governance has become a lightning rod in an era of complex geopolitical dynamics and evolving and contested international norms. Rutgers Law Distinguished Professor Jean-Marc Coicaud tackles this issue in his new book, The Law and Politics of International Legitimacy, published by Cambridge University Press.
The book assesses what political legitimacy is, the limitations of legitimacy within international law, and the current international order it seeks to regulate. To do so, Professor Coicaud uses a descriptive, critical and reconstructive approach and identifies conditions under which international law and order could overcome legitimacy challenges to become more just and effective. This exploration is particularly timely, given the increasing scrutiny of international institutions and legal frameworks as well as growing fragmentation of international order. By addressing the foundational aspects of legitimacy, the book offers valuable insights for policymakers, scholars, and practitioners engaged in international law and global governance.
He says, “Legitimacy, like justice, is central to the pursuit of a just and stable order at the domestic level as at the international level.”
Professor Coicaud is an expert in international law and global affairs. He offers courses on international law, human rights, international organizations, the United Nations, comparative law, comparative jurisprudence, and comparative international legal regimes. He has published 16 other books (single-authored, co-authored and co-edited) and more than 100 chapters and articles in the fields of legal and political theory, international law, international relations, and comparative politics. His books are available in English, French, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic.
In 2015, Professor Coicaud was elected a member to the European Academy of Sciences (Academia Europaea). Since 2018, he has served as Distinguished Chair Professor at Fudan Institute for Advanced Study in Social Sciences at Fudan University in Shanghai, China. In addition, he is a Nonresident Senior Fellow with the Centro Internacional de Globalización y Desarrollo in Santiago, Chile. Professor Coicaud also serves on the advisory board of the Global Policy Journal based in London. Prior to joining the faculty at Rutgers Law, Professor Coicaud served as a senior official with the United Nations, including in the Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary-General in New York and the United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan.