Introduction

Military legitimacy is about the balance between might and right. It is a relative concept, differing in periods of war and peace. In wartime, survival takes precedence over the niceties of the law; there can be no substitute for victory. In peacetime the legitimacy of military operations is not measured by overwhelming force but by public support - the vacillating, unwritten product of the public will. The focus of this book is on the legitimacy of peacetime military operations and the public support that is both a requirement and measure of military legitimacy.