Legitimacy of International Organizations and their Decisions : Challenges that International Organizations Face in the 21st Century

Abstract

Introduction I. Some Background on the Legitimacy of International Organizations and their Decisions 1. Two Reasons Why Legitimacy did not Surface as an Issue Earlier 2. Three Reasons Why Legitimacy has Surfaced as an Issue II. Recent Cases Where Legitimacy was Questioned 1. The European Union (EU) 2. The United Nations Security Council 3. The World Trade Organization (WTO) 4. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) III. Towards an Improvement in the Legitimacy of International Organizations and their Decisions 1. Democracy 2. Accountability Conclusion