The Asymmetry of Legitimacy
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-7-2012
Abstract
State legitimacy is often said to have two aspects: an internal and an external one. Internally, a legitimate state has the right to rule over its subjects. Externally, it has a right that outsiders not interfere with its domestic governance. But what is the relation between these two aspects? In this paper, I defend a conception of legitimacy according to which these two aspects are related in an importantly asymmetrical manner. In particular, a legitimate state’s external right to rule affords it protections that include and go beyond what its internal right to rule enables it to do. This asymmetrical view, I argue, is preferable to its two main rivals: the view that a state’s internal and external legitimacy are separate issues, and the view that internal and external legitimacy are mirroring.
Recommended Citation
van der Vossen, Bas. “The Asymmetry of Legitimacy”, Law and Philosophy 31 (2012): 565-592. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10982-012-9132-7
Peer Reviewed
1
Copyright
Springer
Comments
This article was originally published in Law and Philosophy, volume 31, in 2012. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10982-012-9132-7
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