Emergency Powers of International Organizations: Between Normalization and Containment by Christian Kreuder-Sonnen

Reviewed by: Michael P. A. Murphy ([e-mail]), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Christian Kreuder-Sonnen’s Emergency Powers of International Organizations: Between Normalization and Containment balances sophisticated (yet clear) theoretical innovation with detailed empirical material to explain and explore the development of exceptionalism as a practice in international institutions. Speaking directly to scholars of international organizations (IOs), political and legal theory, and International Relations (IR) theory, Kreuder-Sonnen’s book is also a timely intervention that sheds light on the complex invocation of emergency powers in world politics at a critical juncture. It marks a significant contribution to the fields addressed, and will also be of use to practitioners interacting with IOs seeking a greater understanding of the operation of rhetorical power and legitimation of emergency powers in these contexts.

Following the introductory discussion of the research design, the book proceeds through a conceptual section, an empirical section, and a conclusion that assesses the theoretical model and its normative implications. The definitional work in chapter 2 categorizes different forms of exceptionalism based on the mechanism by which emergency powers are invoked, the intrusiveness of those powers, and the reach (33). It also sets the stage for analysis of the two core outcomes of post-emergency politics—ratcheting effects, which seek to extend the emergency powers, and rollbacks, which seek to curtail them (43–47). The broader theoretical framework—Kreuder-Sonnen’s “proportionality theory”—is constructed of precisely these definitions, drawing structural inspiration from Just War Theory. This framework, presented in chapter 3, sets out a contest between the pro-ratchet and pro-rollback positions, where “the pro-rachet coalition will try to argue that the assumption and exercise of IO emergency powers was necessary, functional, and involving a bearable amount of costs” (63). These positions can be aided by other factors, such as the strength of the coalitions within the institution and the intensity of the crisis in public perception, which are further outlined in the third chapter. These two chapters draw operationalizable and manageable definitions and causal mechanisms from a complex and contested literature, but what makes the proportionality theory particularly compelling is its deployment through the empirical chapters.

Kreuder-Sonnen discusses six total case studies across three institutions—the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), and the European Union (EU). For the WHO and UNSC, one case study results in a ratchet effect and one in a rollback, whereas both EU cases result in ratchet effects. The care taken to outline causal claims for ratchet and rollback effects in the theoretical chapters provide a strong structure for the empirical investigation found in the latter half. Kreuder-Sonnen’s presentation of the actor coalitions, institutional power, and rhetorical power considerations operative in each case brings the reader along with the analysis, not merely stating the substantial contribution of the proportionality theory of IO exceptionalism but demonstrating its ideal-type analysis in action. The analysis of the UNSC, for example, highlights not only the different geopolitical motivations leading to coalitions between the “Permanent Five” members and the institutional power that can be developed through that partnership (in the case of counterterrorism legislation), but also the rhetorical power of transnational movements in normative advocacy for rollbacks (in the case of opposition to targeted sanctions). Multimethod analysis of proceedings, debates, resolutions, and media produces a robust empirical basis that grounds the conceptually innovative theory of proportionality and demonstrates its contribution.

The book is at its best when exploring and applying nuanced conceptual debates in clear terms. The vast and often jargon-ridden theoretical literature around exceptionalism and emergency powers appears in uncharacteristic (but most welcome) clarity in the work. Difficult decisions have to be made in any theoretical engagement, and while the work may have benefited from greater engagement with critical IR theory work on exceptionalism and the emergency—particularly the work of Jacqueline Best on economic exceptionalism ² —or a closer engagement with the philosophical literature building on the work of Giorgio Agamben, the clarity of the original argument developed in the book means that participants in debates not directly addressed will nevertheless be able to appreciate the contribution. Indeed, in addition to the constructivist literature on IOs and political–legal theorists of exceptionalism, critical approaches to security and IR theory will certainly benefit from engagement with the arguments explored here.

As a final note, it is worth recognizing the importance of the book for our present moment. From the perspective of an IR scholar, two important phenomena observed in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic are: (a) the increased invocation of emergency powers at a variety of entities; and (b) a new round of questions related to the role and responsibilities of the WHO and other IOs. While Kreuder-Sonnen’s earlier work on the WHO and emergency powers was already available in article-form, ³ the careful exploration of the titular concepts in Emergency Powers of International Organizations: Between Normalization and Containment makes an unparalleled contribution to understanding the international politics of the COVID-19 pandemic. It would be little exaggeration to say that we cannot fully appreciate the implications of the present moment without this book.