Wielding the spiritual sword again
Some considerations on neo-medievalism in modern international order
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12923312 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ignas Kalpokas (0000-0003-1110-5185, University of Nottingham, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 296-312 |
| Publication date | 2014-11-23 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of International Political Theory (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1755-0882 • E-ISSN: 1755-1722 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1755088214559926 |
| OpenAlex | W2085808888 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 52 |
This article traces the paradoxes within the modern international system, which is guided by liberal norms and values, in particular pertaining to human rights. This system is seen here as being ruled by an empty norm: power is present, but it is disembodied. Therefore, the entire international order is open to uses and abuses by the most powerful actors in the international sphere, especially the power states. Furthermore, when combined with the fact that the modern world has been completely appropriated by humanity as a universal integrated whole, whoever falls outside the dominant normative structure is, in effect, no longer even part of humanity. To analyse the means and effects of such tension between the universal and the particular, this article draws analogies with the medieval struggle between the secular and the religious authorities. It is argued that currently one can observe a return of the Respublica Christiana in the form of a rights-centred ‘international community’. And yet, contrary to earlier scholarly attempts to draw analogies with the Middle Ages, this return is seen here as a dangerous employment of political theology
Economics · Human rights · Humanity · International community · International relations · Law and economics · Norm (philosophy · Normative · Order (exchange · Political science · Political theology · Politics · Power (physics · Sociology · SWORD · Global Peace and Security Dynamics · Law · Political Theology and Sovereignty · War, Ethics, and Justification
Global Covenant
Foundations and Frontiers of Deliberative Governance
The Global Commonwealth of Citizens
Foundations of Public Law
Law and revolution
Política entre las naciones
Human Rights as Geopolitics
The Spirit of Classical Canon Law
Carl Schmitt's International Thought
Human Rights in International Relations
Homo Sacer
Deliberation beyond Borders
Reconstructing responsibility and moral agency in world politics
Between Communicative Interaction and Structures of Signification
International law and hegemony
A Democratic Rule of International Law
Interlinking the Domestic with the International
Dangerous duties
The responsibility to protect as a duty of care in international law and practice
The responsibility for the other and The Responsibility to Protect
The Anarchical Society
Reimagining Political Community
Medieval Law in Context
Sovereignty Regimes
The end of human rights
The Legitimacy of the UN Security Council
The Responsibility to Protect Beyond Borders
The Anarchical Society
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The second generation of human security
The Concept of the Political
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |