Carl Schmitt, Crown Jurist of the Thrid Reich: On Preemptive War, Military Occupation, And World Empire

by Peter M.R. Stirk

The importance of examining the ideas of German jurist Carl Schmitt, an ardent supporter of the Nazis, argues Stirk (School of Government and International Affairs, U. of Durham, UK), is that the ideas he articulated concerning his concept of the enemy, the construction of myth, the necessity of a multi-polar world of balanced powers, and the illegitimacy of so-called humanitarian interventions may find resonance in today's uni-polar world of American dominance and the "War on Terror." He surveys Schmitt's writings, distilling what he sees as the essence of these ideas and then examines their contemporary relevance, suggesting that Schmitt's dangerous ideas have often been implicit, even if unconsciously, in the arguments of critics of Western military actions in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

146 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005