Organic Global Constitutionalism

Abstract

Global constitutionalism is becoming increasingly prevalent in international legal discourse. While the various contributions give the impression of a seemingly complex and diverse debate, the contributions in fact all share some significant omissions and biases. It is argued here that the limitations, to be found in the disregard for processes such as fragmentation, and the biases, to be found through such realities as hegemony in international law, give rise to the necessity of a reconceptualization of the global constitutional debate. It is suggested that global constitutionalism should be reconfigured in terms of what is called ‘organic global constitutionalism’. Organic global constitutionalism should be understood as being defined by constitutionalism as process, constitutionalism as political, constitutionalism as a ‘negative universal’, and constitutionalism as a promise for the future. These features would offer an alternative way of framing the debate and a means of redeeming the idea of global constitutionalism.

A Multidimensionalidade da Paz: Dinâmicas de Política Internacional e Resolução de Conflitos

“…O constitucionalismo global é porventura a mais importante alteração estrutural dos últimos tempos no âmbito da teoria do Direito Internacional, tendo vindo a marcar de forma prevalecente o debate na disciplina (Machado, 2006;Schwöbel, 2010). Esta doutrina do Direito Internacional, hoje bastante difundida, é uma emanação da abordagem universalista de racionalidade objetiva, o que permite uma análise de expressões proeminentes deste discurso de matriz liberal.…”