A discussion of Alexander S. Kirschner's A Theory of Militant Democracy: The Ethics of Combatting Political Extremism

In: Perspectives on politics, Band 13, Heft 3, S. 796-797

Abstract

The legitimacy claims of liberal democratic states are typically couched in the
language of individual rights and the rule of law. But contemporary liberal
democratic states increasingly appeal to a logic of security, law and order, and
the need to combat "political extremism." This logic plays
out in Ukraine, Egypt, and Turkey, and in Greece and Germany, but also in the
U.S., France, and the UK. It is an increasingly important feature of politics in
societies that may be experiencing a rough "transition to
democracy," but also in societies that are conventionally regarded as
"consolidated democracies." The normative and practical
challenges presented by this situation are fundamental. Alexander S.
Kirschner's A Theory of Militant Democracy: The Ethics of Combatting
Political Extremism offers one interesting take on these issues, which cut to
the core of political science as a discipline. We have thus invited a range of
political scientists from a variety of subfield and methodological perspectives
to comment on the book and on the broader topic the book engages—the
ethics of combatting political extremism and indeed the very political
construction of "political extremism." -- Jeffrey C.
Isaac