Civil association across borders: Law, morality and responsibility in the post-Brexit Era
| Author | Ronnie Hjorth |
| Published date | 01 October 2018 |
| Date | 01 October 2018 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/1755088217752376 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/1755088217752376
Journal of International Political Theory
2018, Vol. 14(3) 299 –313
© The Author(s) 2018
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DOI: 10.1177/1755088217752376
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Civil association across
borders: Law, morality and
responsibility in the post-
Brexit Era
Ronnie Hjorth
Swedish Defence University, Sweden
Abstract
Michael Oakeshott’s distinction between ‘civil association’ and ‘enterprise association’
has inspired international society theorists to conceive of international society as not
just a ‘purposive association’ constructed by states to satisfy their interests but also as
a ‘practical association’ providing formal and pragmatic rules that are not instrumental
to particular goals of state policy. While this article is supportive of the Oakeshottian
turn in international society theory, it suggests that somewhat different conclusions can
be drawn from it. The article sketches out an alternative conception of international
‘civil association’, one that transcends the boundaries of communities. It is argued that
such a notion of civil association is both possible and at the same time anchored in the
experiences of the modern state. It is suggested that this notion of international civil
association, when sustained by an adequate legal conception, promotes the enforcement
of moral and political responsibility across borders. Finally, it is argued that European
governments post-Brexit should strive to retain, as much as possible, the element of
civil association present in European relations in order to preserve the civil condition,
the rule of law, and in order to enhance political responsibility across borders.
Keywords
Brexit, civil association, international ethics, international relations theory,
international society, Michael Oakeshott, normative international theory.
Introduction
In The World of Yesterday, Stefan Zweig pictured a world divided by political and moral
decay when European nations, not once, but twice, surrendered to chauvinist
Corresponding author:
Ronnie Hjorth, Swedish Defence University, Drottning Kristinas väg 37 Box 27805, 115 93 Stockholm, Sweden.
Email: ronnie.hjorth@fhs.se
752376IPT0010.1177/1755088217752376Journal of International Political TheoryHjorth
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