The Normative and the Political Kelsen, Schmitt, Morgenthau, and the Future International Order

Introduction  1. The case for a cosmopolitan worldview    2. The Political: Sovereign Power as Free Will  3. The Normative as Subjective Objectivity  4. The Effectiveness of the Ideal  5. Change  6. Normative Effectivism  7. Epilogue

Biography

Leon Sosnowski is an experienced international lawyer, heading a global sovereign fund’s legal team. He has taught international relations theory and international law at King’s College London’s War Studies Department, where he completed his PhD. He also has a Master’s in Legal & Political Theory from University College London (UCL). Leon’s research brings together international relations, law, and political theory to explore questions of political authority and its breakdown.

"Leon Sosnowski has written an ambitious, theoretically imposing study that does what too many mistakenly thought impossible: synthesizing Hans Kelsen’s legal cosmopolitanism with Hans J. Morgenthau’s international realism. With careful attention to both historical and contemporary examples (including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine), Sosnowski capably illustrates the strengths of his creative synthesis as well as the weaknesses of its rivals. Covering a wide range of thinkers and ideas, this is an insightful work that deserves attention from legal scholars, political scientists, and anyone else with an interest in international law and politics. Highly recommended!"
William Scheuerman, James Rudy Professor, Indiana University

"Sosnowski rightly argues that a law-based international order is not utopian, as its nationalist critics contend. Rather, it is essential for peace and prosperity. Drawing on Hans Kelsen's cosmopolitanism — but not his positivism — he envisages the world as a single legal order of which states are expressions of what he calls enlightened pluralism. Given the current state of the world, such an approach is more necessary than ever."
Richard Ned Lebow, Professor Emeritus of International Political Theory, King's College London;
James O. Freedman Presidential Professor, Emeritus, Dartmouth College

"With a sure hand and rare insight, Sosnowski shows how three of the 20th century’s most intriguing thinkers—Hans Kelsen, Carl Schmitt, Hans Morgenthau—played off each other in the fraught world of interwar Germany and why their distinctive, fully elaborated worldviews are significant to this day. Kelsen is key."
Nicholas Onuf, Florida International University

"A powerful reexamination of crucial debates within twentieth century international law and politics, and a challenging argument for the continuing importance of the international legal order. The Normative and the Political is a sophisticated, timely, and urgent contribution to thinking about the future of world politics."
Michael C. Williams, Professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa

“To be sure, titles proposing to re-examine classical realism are not new.  Neither are explorations of Schmitt’s thought. Combined readings of Kelsen, Morgenthau and Schmitt are, however, a far rarer breed. The author’s exploration of these three authors outlines a vision of an international law that can rise above the political. It is this vision, together with the book’s insights, that makes its potential audience go beyond International Relations theory aficionados to encompass both researchers and advanced students concerned with the effectiveness of international law. That all of these theories and ideas are presented in an accessible way is a notable achievement: no in-depth knowledge of the book’s leading figures is required to understand their provocative ideas or Sosnowski’s insights.”

Carmen Chas, International Affairs