ブックタイトル佐藤栄作論文集９～１６

概要

佐藤栄作論文集９～１６

will be in its favor. Under the circumstances, the UN’s intervention, when it so occurs,will succeed in most cases only in smothering the problem without addressing -- letalone redressing -- the issues pertaining to the legitimacy of the state. All in all, thesefactors make the UN a feeble organization that occupies the unfortunate positionof either an‘unwanted intruder’in the eyes of the government or a‘sycophanticorganization’in the eyes of the groups that challenge the legitimacy of the state.It is perhaps true that the legitimacy of the UN itself had been eroded significantlyover the years. This is so because some of its more powerful members -- most notablythose in the Security Council -- use the world body to promote and justify theirsectarian interest in the name of international peace and security, and sometimeswithout even bothering to justify it. The legitimacy of the UN had been underminedas both the current membership and the structure of the Security Council reflects therealities of half a century ago. In this connection, it should be reiterated that issues oflegitimacy also occupy a central position in conflicts involving a government on theone hand and an ethnic group on the other. Therefore, it would make matters easierfor the UN if it first addresses question pertaining to its own legitimacy. This canbe done, among other things, by restructuring the Security Council and by revisingthe Charter of the United Nations so that it could accommodate the realities of ourtimes including the rising tide of ethnic conflicts. Doing so would enhance the moralauthority of the organization while at the same time augmenting its effectiveness.With its legitimacy restored, the supportive idea so crucial to the effective functioningof an institution such as the one under discussion would eventually emerge as amatter of fact. 2786427 For a brief discussion of the role ideas play in social life, see my“On Neoliberalism and Culturalism: A View fromthe South,”International Review of Sociology, Vol. 8（No. 2）, pp. 299-311.