New Books Network Trump, the UN Charter, and the Strange Politics of International Law
Feb 17, 2026
Robert Howse, NYU international law professor and adviser on global legal issues, joins to probe law, sovereignty, and political theory. He examines Trump’s pragmatic use of the UN Charter, debates about collective security versus charter purism, and tensions between Straussian and Schmittian thought. The conversation also explores neoconservative origins, masculinity and virtue anxieties, and risks of regime-change warfare.
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Strauss Versus Neocon Interventionism
- Leo Strauss's thought overlaps with early neocon anti-communism but diverges on aggressive interventionism.
- Howse emphasizes Strauss as cautious and a critic of wars of aggression, not a proponent of democracy-by-force.
Neoconservatism's Moral Dimension
- Neoconservatism combined hard-line anti-communism with domestic worries about moral decline and virtue.
- This domestic moralism distinguished it from libertarian or Friedmanite critiques of the welfare state.
Schmittian Masculinity vs. Straussian Caution
- Carl Schmitt's warrior ideal influenced some conservatives' emphasis on martial virtue and masculine revival.
- Howse stresses Strauss rejected Schmittian warrior morality and preferred non-martial remedies to liberal decadence.
