Overview

This book explores the political language of multilateralism in the context of three United Nations (UN) pillars: human rights, peace and security, and development. Focussing on the debates, ideas, and practices of international cooperation that have dominated the UN agenda since the early 1990s, it shows how a conceptual understanding of multilateralism could help strengthen the international community to face uncertainty and crises. The authors analyze the language of multilateralism as employed when the UN handles cases of transnational challenges and seeks to establish an international response and argue that conceptual politics of multilateralism taking place in the UN concerning key contemporary challenges illustrate a lack of shared understanding of multilateralism but also a broad interest to promote alternatives for multilateral cooperation as an activity. Case studies illustrate the politics of multilateralism as an analytical concept and trace the practices, debates, and related concepts such as sovereignty, legitimacy, and authority. This volume will appeal to scholars of political theory, international organizations, global governance, and international relations, as well as practitioners at think tanks and international organizations

Full Product Details

9781032762845

Table of Contents

Reviews

“An insightful and timely analysis of multilateralism at the United Nations—this book is both intellectually rigorous and urgently relevant. It offers sharp analysis and thought-provoking commentary about the UN’s evolving role in tackling global challenges, from armed conflict to climate emergency, and makes a persuasive case for why multilateral cooperation remains indispensable in today’s world. It is a must-read for anyone concerned with the future of global cooperation.” - Magdalena Zolkos, Associate Professor at the Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of Jyväskylä ""The book offers a comprehensive examination of multilateral politics and the United Nations' capacity to address crises, positioning it as a significant academic contribution at a time when UN-centric multilateralism and its role as a global peace provider are subject to considerable scrutiny."" - Marko Lehti, Research Director, Tampere Peace Research Institute (TAPRI), Tampere University.

Author Information

Anna Kronlund has a PhD in political science and is a docent at the University of Jyväskylä. She works as acting university lecturer in political science at the University of Turku. Her research interests include UN and multilateral cooperation, Finnish UN policy, US politics and Congress, in addition to parliamentary studies, political debates, and concepts. Teemu Häkkinen has a PhD in general history and is a docent at the University of Jyväskylä. His research interests include multilateral organizations, concepts, civil-military relations, cognitive security, and foreign and defense policy decision-making. Ratih D. Adiputri has a PhD in political science, from the University of Jyväskylä, and works as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Jyväskylä. Her research interests include parliament, Southeast Asian politics, (environmental) multilateralism, sustainable development and green transition.

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