States, international organisations, and legitimacy: The role of international organisations in contemporary peace enforcement operations

This dissertation analyses the role of international organisations in launching contemporary peace enforcement operations. Virtually all peace enforcement operations are launched from within the framework of a formal international organisation. This dissertation argues that lead states in peace enforcement operations choose to operate through international organisations in order to enhance the international legitimacy of their actions. They aim to avoid accusations of aggression and hope to gain international recognition as contributors to international peace and security. The international legitimacy generated by international organisation's mandate is crucial in this respect.; At a theoretical level, this dissertation underlines the importance of legitimacy in contemporary international relations and the status of international organisations as gatekeepers to this legitimacy. It acknowledges competing realist, neoliberal institutionalist, and managerial perspectives on international organisations and derives five hypotheses to test this legitimacy-centred conception against its theoretical alternatives.; Five case studies evaluate the empirical evidence for these hypotheses. They focus on the Nigerian-led ECOWAS intervention in Liberia; the SADC operations in Lesotho and the Democratic Republic of Congo led by South Africa and Zimbabwe, respectively; the US-led NATO campaign in Kosovo; and the Australian-led UN intervention in East Timor. These case studies reflect the variety of international organisations engaged in contemporary peace enforcement operations and capture the range of lead states launching these operations. These include democracies, autocracies, and dictatorships as well as small, medium, and super-powers.; The case studies support the legitimacy-based theory of international organisations over its alternatives. Against the expectations of the managerial school, lead states show very little respect for international law when launching peace enforcement operations. Contrary to neoliberal institutionalism's predictions, international organisations do not generate significant burden-sharing for peace enforcement operations. Yet despite realist scepticism, lead states incur substantial costs to secure the auspices of an international organisation for their interventions. This is because lead states typically have substantial concerns about the international legitimacy of their interventions, which they address by operating within the framework of an international organisation.