Was bedeutet Souveränität?

The notion of sovereignty seems to have lost much of its plausibility in national and transnational thought. Ulrich Haltern reminds us, however, of the tenacity of sovereignty. In a genealogical and cultural study, he shows that sovereignty continues to shape our ideas of law and of political issues; it is the interface between law and violence, making it a key term in describing the world of law, politics and ourselves. The author begins by dealing with the »story of progress in international law.« He studies the development of Catholic and Protestant sovereignty and in doing so examines issues pertaining to the Christian legacy, the will of the voting public and sovereignty as a metaphysical promise of political thought and human dignity. He then does a detailed study of sovereignty in (German) international law and in European Community law.