The new nomos of the earth and the channelling of violence
| Published date | 01 June 2017 |
| Date | 01 June 2017 |
| Author | Ignas Kalpokas |
| DOI | 10.1177/1755088216679024 |
https://doi.org/10.1177/1755088216679024
Journal of International Political Theory
2017, Vol. 13(2) 162 –180
© The Author(s) 2016
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DOI: 10.1177/1755088216679024
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The new nomos of the
earth and the channelling
of violence
Ignas Kalpokas
ISM University of Management and Economics, Lithuania; LCC International University, Lithuania;
Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania
Abstract
This article develops a theoretical explanation of the patterns of violence and distribution
of conflict in contemporary world. It combines the international political thought of Carl
Schmitt with an exploration of the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria and tensions over
the South China Sea in order to envisage a new spatialisation of the world (‘nomos’
in Schmittian parlance) based around Großräume – ‘large spaces’, that is, powerful
agglomerations of states – and peripheral lands in-between. It is thereby stipulated that
while direct violence between Großräume is limited (or nonexistent), inter-Großraum
competition is channelled towards the periphery, and the three cases presented
in this article demonstrate how the exact nature and means of conflict depend on a
particular inter-Großraum alignment. This reconceptualisation of the international order
is presented in the wider context of Schmitt’s political thought, particularly his notions
of the political, sovereignty and the exception in order to elucidate the latent processes
behind the formation of state groupings and their willingness to engage in conflict beyond
their borders.
Keywords
Carl Schmitt, conflict, Großraum, nomos, proxy warfare, violence
Introduction
Today’s world seems to be characterised by a paradox: although use of force, and even
the threat of it, is prohibited (see, most notably, Article 2(4) of the UN Charter), this
seems to have had limited impact upon the actual state of affairs. Certain parts of the
Corresponding author:
Ignas Kalpokas, ISM University of Management and Economics, Arklių 18, Vilnius LT-01129, Lithuania.
Email: ignkal@faculty.ism.lt
679024IPT0010.1177/1755088216679024Journal of International Political TheoryKalpokas
research-article2016
Article
Kalpokas 163
world seem to defy the rule, becoming instead permanent zones of exception. Moreover,
the force and violence unleashed in these zones of exception tend to be different from
that envisaged by the drafters of the prohibition: it is one characterised by a complex
mixture of state and non-state actors, involvement of the major regional and global play-
ers (a development that usually tends to intensify and protract a conflict) and disregard
for the formalised laws and customs of war. Of the cases considered in this article,
Ukraine and, particularly, Syria exemplify this trend. At the same time, however, some
conflicts, despite the high stakes involved, do not fall into exception and remain con-
tained within the system of rules and prohibitions. Hence, this exploratory study strives
to uncover the patterns of violence and inner dynamics of today’s conflicts by employing
the ideas of the German legal and political theorist Carl Schmitt.
Taking together two crucial concepts from Schmitt’s international political thought –
nomos and Großraum – the article suggests that the current global order is based on
multiple Großräume – ‘large spaces’ – each composed of a group of states possessing a
common identity. Following the spatialisation of violence developed in The Nomos of the
Earth (Schmitt, 2003), direct conflict between these Großräume is seen as limited, while
competition is directed outside – towards the states in-between Großräume – as an
attempt to jostle for power and influence.
The nature and inner working of the Großraum-based order is demonstrated through
three particular cases: conflicts in Ukraine and Syria and tensions in the South China
Sea. All three are taken to manifest different outcomes of the present nomos: Ukraine as
a limited proxy war due to a standoff between two Großräume, Syria as an all-out proxy
war due to the complexity of a multi-way inter-Großraum conflict and South China Sea
as a mostly non-violent standoff, taking place on the immediate inter-Großraum. Based
on the broader context of Schmitt’s political thought, the article also further develops a
theory explaining the importance of peripheral lands in-between Großräume – lands
‘beyond the line’ as Schmitt would have referred to them – for the maintenance of the
current global order.
A Großraum analysis of today’s international order has already been put forward by
Salter (2012b), particularly when applied to China (Salter, 2012a; Salter and Yin, 2014)
and by Rech and Grzybowski (2016) with regard to the European Union (EU). However,
contrary to Salter, the present article does not consider Großräume as a prospective mod-
ification of international law but only as a statement of fact. Also, contrary to Salter’s
positive evaluation of Großraum-based order as a framework for peaceful coexistence
(see, for example, Salter, 2012b: 13), this article considers Großräume in terms of respa-
tialisation of violence. Nevertheless, rather than attempting to revive a Nazi-related con-
cept of international order (for this type of criticism, see, for example, Koskenniemi,
2012), Großraum is taken as a principle that denotes the presence of distinct core states
and their groups, organised into spatial and symbolic sub-orders.
The article is composed in the following manner. The first part outlines Schmitt’s
conceptualisations of Großraum and nomos and their preconditions in Schmitt’s political
theory. Then, the basic characteristics of the current nomos and the ways of distinguish-
ing between Großraum and non-Großraum are provided. The third part of the article
presents direct manifestations of externalised inter-Großraum competition that demon-
strate, while the fourth part refines the analysis of the current nomos by adding a
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