Carl Schmitt's International Thought: Order and Orientation

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Pressestimmen ‘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 Über das Produkt An unrepentant Nazi, Carl Schmitt is one of the most divisive figures in twentieth century political thought. This book seeks to cut through the controversy to analyse Schmitt’s ideas on world order, but warns of the limitations of relying on Schmitt in the search for answers to modern problems.