Carl Schmitt's International Thought: Order and Orientation

by William Hooker

Overview

An unrepentant Nazi, Carl Schmitt remains one of the most divisive figures in twentieth century political thought. In recent years, his ideas have attracted a new and growing audience. This book seeks to cut through the controversy surrounding Schmitt to analyse his ideas on world order. In so doing, it takes on board Schmitt's critique of the condition of order in late modernity, and considers Schmitt's continued relevance. Consideration is given to the two devices Schmitt deploys, the Grossraum and the Partisan, and argues that neither concept lives up to its claim to transcend or reform Schmitt's pessimistic history of the state. The author concludes that Schmitt's continuing value lies in his provocative historical critique, rather than his conceptual innovation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521115421
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	11/12/2009
Pages:	244
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

William Hooker currently works as a lawyer at Clifford Chance in London. He previously researched and taught international political theory at the London School of Economics.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction; 2. Schmitt's 'International Thought'; 3. Unravelling sovereignty; 4. Histories of space; 5. Acceleration and restraint; 6. Grossraum; 7. Partisan; 8. Conclusion; Appendix; Index.

Editorial Reviews

'Carl Schmitt presciently diagnosed the demise of the traditional state system, emergence of new 'post-national' political and legal orders, and some of the most dramatic recent changes in warfare, and he did so by fusing idiosyncratic theological ideas with a deep knowledge of political and legal theory. William Hooker's helpful volume is the first to zoom in on Schmitt's contributions to international political theory. Although both Schmitt's enthusiasts and detractors will disagree with some of Hooker's interpretations, his volume marks an important attempt to link the ever-controversial Schmitt to contemporary debates about international politics.' William E. Scheuerman, Indiana University

'Schmitt is a deeply troubling thinker whose legacy has been used for deeply troubling purposes. William Hooker offers us an admirable, persuasive and engaging account of Schmitt's thought and how it is connected to his view of history and emotional commitment to the prospect of order held out by jus publicum Europeaum. While not directly engaging the ongoing effort to rehabilitate Schmitt, Hooker puts these efforts into perspective by demonstrating how Schmitt's thought about the international order is inconsistent and must be judged a failure on its own terms.' Richard Ned Lebow, Dartmouth College

'Hooker's book is timely and thought-provoking, his meticulous reading of Schmitt's texts casts new light on Schmitt as an apocalyptic reader of the fate of the Westphalian system in the twentieth century.' Kimberley Hutchings, The London School of Economics

'The detailed nature of Hooker's scholarship enables further discussion … this book is an impressive contribution to the history of international thought.' International Affairs

From the Publisher