The Legal Theory Bookworm recommends Globalization and Sovereignty: Rethinking Legality, Legitimacy, and Constitutionalism
Sovereignty and the sovereign state are often seen as anachronisms; Globalization and Sovereignty challenges this view. Jean L. Cohen analyses the new sovereignty regime emergent since the 1990s evidenced by the discourses and practice of human rights, humanitarian intervention, transformative occupation and the UN targeted sanctions regime that blacklists alleged terrorists. Presenting a systematic theory of sovereignty and its transformation in international law and politics, Cohen argues for the continued importance of sovereign equality. She offers a theory of a dualistic world order comprising an international society of states and a global political community in which human rights and global governance institutions affect the law, policies and political culture of sovereign states. She advocates the constitutionalisation of these institutions, within the framework of constitutional pluralism. This book will appeal to students of international political theory and law, political scientists, sociologists, legal historians and theorists of constitutionalism.
And from the reviews:
"Jean Cohen presents a comprehensive critical account of the emerging global system of politics and law animated by the question of the fate and future of democratic autonomy. Her answer is a powerful theory of a 'dualistic' international order balancing the principles of sovereign equality and human rights. A must-read for anyone concerned about the possibilities of democracy in today's and tomorrow's world." – Rainer Forst, University of Frankfurt
"Starting from a robust normative conception of political freedom and a deft command of relevant political and legal events, theories, and debates, then deploying an exceptional talent for refined conceptual modeling and critical analysis, Cohen carves out a space for a unique and clarifying version of a state-sovereignty-conserving, constitutional-pluralist reorientation of ideas." – Frank Michelman, Robert Walmsley University Professor, Harvard University
"Jean Cohen's book is a rare combination: a legal treatise that is also a political theory. Her analysis of the UN charter and of UN resolutions is cogent and illuminating; her advocacy of constitutional pluralism as the critical feature of global governance is exhilarating." – Michael Walzer, Institute for Advanced Study
"A powerful defense of the culture of sovereign equality within a changed United Nations system. The author develops her thought-provoking critical analysis of constitutional change from the leading questions whether human rights and sovereignty are antithetical and whether, therefore, the discourse of sovereignty is to be replaced by global governance talk. The conundrum of the seeming incompatibility of state sovereignty and the constitutionalization of international law and international organizations is countered by her proposal to democratize the UN system. This approach ultimately endorses a dualistic world order, yet it works with the idea of constitutional pluralism. The book's message is that following the proposed approach, on the long-run, the UN system and its rights culture will prevail, albeit encompassing a broad range of actors. A must-read for everybody interested in the debates about global constitutionalism." – Antje Wiener, Professor of Political Science & Global Governance and Director of the Centre for Globalisation & Governance at the University of Hamburg; editor of Global Constitutionalism
"… a densely argued work that, while daunting to readers not previously acquainted with the scholarship that undergoes critical scrutiny here, remains surprisingly accessible in explaining the continuing promise of and threats posed by the UN Charter system." -Jose E. Alvarez, New York University School of Law, American Journal of International Law