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

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Leon Sosnowski

The Normative and the Political

Kelsen, Schmitt, Morgenthau, and the Future International Order

Leon Sosnowski

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English

Routledge
08 October 2025

Social & political philosophy; Political science & theory; International relations; International law

Series: Routledge Innovations in Political Theory

In recent years, much has been written about the interaction between international law and the political. Yet, the field of International Relations has paid limited attention to how centering the interpretation of the ‘international’ on each of these favors radically different orders.

With this book, Leon Sosnowski effectively demonstrates the plausibility of a foreign policy recognizing the primacy of International Law. He does so by synthesizing Hans Kelsen’s legal cosmopolitanism and elements of Hans J. Morgenthau’s classical realism into a new theoretical framework – Normative Effectivism. He argues that it is an international political theory to challenge the current sovereigntist wave, contributing to a sustainable international order. He illustrates his arguments with a novel reading of Kelsen and Morgenthau’s opposition to Carl Schmitt’s worldview. His analysis shows that the post-WWII international system is at a critical crossroads, evidenced by Russia’s post-Cold War foreign policy and the international response.

Securing an important place in the subfield of International Political Theory, The Normative and The Political will be equally useful to scholars in International Relations, Ethics, and International Law.

By: Leon Sosnowski
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781041079057
ISBN 10: 1041079052
Series: Routledge Innovations in Political Theory
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 08 October 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

1. The Case for a Cosmopolitan View 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

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.

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

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 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