New Books in Political Science Trump, the UN Charter, and the Strange Politics of International Law
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Feb 17, 2026 Robert Howse, NYU international law professor and scholar of legal theory, discusses Trump’s tangled relationship with the UN Charter. He explores debates over sovereignty, the UN’s policing role, and flexible readings of Article 2.4. The conversation also traces Straussian and Schmittian influences, the MAGA New Right’s strains, and anxieties about virtue, masculinity, and political strategy.
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Trump Used The UN System Strategically
- International law scholars' automatic condemnation of Trump can miss how he sometimes reinforced UN processes.
- Robert Howse argues that Trump used UN mechanics to secure international buy-in on Gaza and Palestine resolutions.
Strauss Favored Caution Over Aggression
- Leo Strauss aligned with Cold War firmness but opposed aggressive interventionism.
- Robert Howse stresses Strauss favored caution and peace over neoconservative warlike expansion.
Virtue, Masculinity And Schmittian Strains
- Neoconservatism mixed anti-communism with a domestic critique of liberal virtue and masculinity.
- Howse links this moral concern to Carl Schmitt's emphasis on preparedness and Schmittian influences in some conservative circles.
