Abstract
This paper examines the likelihood of China’s legitimation as the global hegemon during an era of relative U.S. decline. Using Rapkin’s (1990) legitimacy deficit framework, the author tests China’s prospects for international legitimacy through the analysis of Chinese leadership at the United Nations (UN). While China’s recent exponential increase in contributions to UN peacekeeping and the UN regular budget signal growing Chinese global leadership, their consistent focus on regional interests, as displayed in UN Security Council and UN General Assembly debate and discussion, indicates the absence of an internationally supported agenda. In concluding, this paper asserts that recent Chinese legitimation efforts through UN leadership have been stonewalled by an inability to provide an international agenda with globally held values and beliefs.
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I would like to thank Dr. Ryan Hendrickson along with two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions on earlier versions of this paper.
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Eastin, L.J.L. Legitimacy Deficit: Chinese Leadership at the United Nations. J OF CHIN POLIT SCI 18, 389–402 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11366-013-9262-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11366-013-9262-2