Editorial: Donald Trump as global constitutional breaching experiment

Abstract

Donald Trump as global constitutional breaching experiment j o n a t h a n h a v e r c r o f t , a n t j e w i e n e r , m a t t i a s k u m m a n d j e f f r e y l d u n o f f The publication of this issue of Global Constitutionalism comes a little over a year since Donald Trump was sworn in as President of the United States. Over the ensuing 13 months it has become commonplace to observe that the actions of this President are 'not normal'. Examples of his abnormal behaviour are numerous, but for a quick refresher consider the following (very incomplete) list. Calling the director of the National Parks Service to find photos of the inauguration to disprove media claims that President Obama's inauguration had a larger audience. 1 Launching an investigation into voter fraud over the election he won, without any actual evidence of voter fraud. 2 Hanging up on the Australian Prime Minister because he did not like a pre-existing refugee agreement between the US and Australia. 3 Pressuring the director of the FBI to stop investigating Michael Flynn for his undisclosed dealings with Russia and Turkey. Banning major media outlets from White House press briefings because he did not like the coverage he received from these organisations. 4 Accusing President Obama of wire tapping Trump's

Global Constitutionalism and Legal Fragmentation: The Populist Backslide in Central and Eastern Europe

“…According to this mainstream interpretation, the global liberal constitutional agenda confronted the complex variety of new unforeseen threats but still did not provide any sufficient protection capable of stopping such regrettable developments. They involving such developments as Brexit, the conservative protectionist course of the Trump administration, 63 the degradation of liberal constitutionalism in Eastern Europe (Poland, Hungary and Romania's constitutional and judicial counter-reforms) in reaction to the "post-communist project" difficulties. 64 It also involves the progressive erosion of law-based states in the post-Soviet space, and in "new democracies" -India, Indonesia, Turkey, Brazil and South Africa.…”

Global Constitutionalism: the Theory of the Global Legal Order or a New Political Ideology?

“…В концентрированной форме эти тенденции представлены именно «трампизмом», который расценивается как мощный удар «изнутри» по глобальному конституционализму, решительная угроза демократии, правам человека, верховенству права и индивидуальным свободам как фундаментальной норме глобального конституционализма. С учетом этих геополитических сдвигов, отмечается, что глобальный конституционный порядок оказался «существенно ослаблен», хотя преждевременно делать вывод о его «полной гибели» 20 . Тенденции к конституционной ретрадиционализации представлены в США и других классических западных демократиях, но особенно выражены в Центральной и Восточной Европе, а также странах постсоветского пространства 21 .…”

“…Taking all these geopolitical shifts into account, it is noted that the global constitutional order has been "significantly weakened," although it is still early to conclude that it is completely destroyed. 20 The tendencies towards constitutional re-traditionalization are present in the USA and other classical Western democracies, but are especially pronounced in Central and Eastern Europe as well as in the countries of the post-Soviet space. 21 In the existing understanding of global constitutionalism, the "conflict of narratives" has turned out to be significant today: its dynamics is assessed as a "temporary retreat," a "crisis," which is expressed in the lack of democracy and erosion of global governance.…”

Outlawing war is not enough to promote international peace: The ambivalence of liberal interventionism

“…The journal’s 2018 editorial analysed President Trump’s domestic and foreign policy decisions as a ‘global constitutional breaching experiment’. A quite optimistic interpretation of the consequences of these disruptive policies is that these attempts and acts of norm-breaking might render the norms stronger in the end – due to strong opposition and vocal responses (Havercroft et al 2018: 7–13). However, this interpretation expresses exactly the progressive narrative that might blind ‘our’ eyes towards historical ruptures taking place and that might serve as elements of a new world order.…”