Was Montesquieu noch nicht wissen konnte / What Montesquieu could not have known yet

Überlegungen zur Revision der Gewaltenteilungslehre. Nach wie vor gilt Montesquieus Machtteilungslehre vielerorts als verfassungspolitisches Orakel. Dabei wird sie oft verfälscht tradiert. Aber selbst richtig verstanden scheint es fraglich, ob das Konzept 250 Jahre nach dem Tode des Meisterdenkers noch zeitgemäss ist. Der Verfasser des „Esprit des lois“ war kein Dogmatiker. Vermutlich würde er seine Machtteilungslehre auf Grund der heutigen Probleme revidieren. Reflections on a revision of the separation of powers theory. Montesquieu's division of power theory is still widely regarded as an oracle of constitutional politics although it has often been an object of misinterpretation. Yet even if the concept is understood correctly, it appears doubtful whether it still chimes with the times 250 years after the master thinker's death. It is very likely that today's problems would prompt him to revise his division of power theory

Neutrals as brokers of peacebuilding ideas?

Neutral states have traditionally been seen as favoring specific norms in international relations. Being itself originally a legal concept, neutrality was intimately linked to the importance and the respect of international law. Additionally, neutral states were seen as promoters of humanitarian ideals and elements we would in our days label as peace-building. Based on these considerations, the article tackles the more general assumption according to which neutral states would in general play a disproportionate role in promoting new “positive” ideas into the international relations because a) they have a tradition of doing so which was intimately linked to their survival as states and to their political culture, b) they have a comparative advantage in doing so because the ideas they bring in are not seen as part of hidden agendas in promoting other power-related goals, and c) the type of ideas they have been and they still are promoting always aimed at either preventing war or limiting the negative effects of war