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Democracy is not a state-form. The power of the people is even the antithesis of the statist principle. By maintaining - with Marx, and against the Marxist tradition - this radical thesis, Miguel Abensour makes an essential contribution to the now urgent task of returning the words politics and democracy to their original meaning. Jacques Ranciere This is a long-awaited translation of a very important book. Abensour presents an utterly persuasive reading of the early Marx in terms of the notion of 'true democracy' which cannot be reduced to the state-form. Thus there is a Machiavellian moment of political decision in Marx that exceeds the identification of politics with the State. Simon Critchley, New School for Social Research, New York At a time when popular distrust of the State is monopolized by right-wing movements, it is healthy to be reminded that there is a powerful counterpart on the left. In his provocative defense of 'insurgent democracy', Abensour shows the abiding power of a libertarianism unafraid to acknowledge its debt to anarchist thought and practice. Martin Jay, University of California, Berkeley

The translation of Carl Schmitt's Writings on War is a remarkable achievement. Timothy Nunan has introduced, translated and annotated the text with considerable skill and aplomb. Nunan's excellent introduction makes clear the painfully compelling relevance of these essays on sovereignty, enmity and empire for contemporary audiences - relevance that is not likely to diminish over the course of time. John McCormick, University of Chicago Carl Schmitt's direct assaults on liberal views of international law and politics generated massive controversy when they first appeared in German. Now available in an accessible translation, Anglophone readers finally get a chance to understand what the fuss was all about. Zeroing in on the Achilles' heel of liberal international law, Schmitt ultimately threw the baby out with the bath water by transforming his occasionally astute observations into a full-fledged attack. Despite his flawed normative and political aspirations, Schmitt's views provide a provocative challenge those of us committed to strengthening international law and global governance simply have to take up. William E. Scheuerman, Indiana University

"""From the Indignados to the Occupy movements to the Arab Spring, spontaneous, popular political initiatives attract broad sympathy only to see power reassert itself. Abensour has written as persuasive an account of the underlying logic of such movements as I know, and an invaluable critique of their widespread liberal and anarchist (self-) misunderstandings."" Radical Philosophy ""This book makes a most significant contribution. It offers a fresh and generally persuasive  interpretation of Marx, while also addressing some contemporary issues within democratic theory."" Perspectives on Politics ""Of interest primarily to scholars of Marxism and contemporary French political theory. Recommended."" Choice ""Democracy is not a State-form. The power of the people is the antithesis of the Statist principle. By maintaining with Marx, and against the Marxist tradition, this radical thesis, Miguel Abensour makes an essential contribution to the urgent task of returning the words 'politics' and 'democracy' to their original meaning."" Jacques Rancière, University of Paris ""This is a long-awaited translation of a very important book. Abensour presents an utterly persuasive reading of the early Marx in terms of the notion of ‘true democracy' which cannot be reduced to the State-form. Thus there is a Machiavellian moment of political decision in Marx that exceeds the identification of politics with the State. The work is a hugely suggestive and important intervention into contemporary theoretical debates."" Simon Critchley, New School for Social Research ""At a time when popular distrust of the State is monopolized by right-wing movements, it is healthy to be reminded that there is a powerful counterpart on the left. In his provocative defense of 'insurgent democracy,' Abensour shows the abiding power of a libertarianism unafraid to acknowledge its debt to anarchist thought and practice."" Martin Jay, University of California, Berkeley"

From the Indignados to the Occupy movements to the Arab Spring, spontaneous, popular political initiatives attract broad sympathy only to see power reassert itself. Abensour has written as persuasive an account of the underlying logic of such movements as I know, and an invaluable critique of their widespread liberal and anarchist (self-) misunderstandings. Radical Philosophy This book makes a most significant contribution. It offers a fresh and generally persuasive interpretation of Marx, while also addressing some contemporary issues within democratic theory. Perspectives on Politics Of interest primarily to scholars of Marxism and contemporary French political theory. Recommended. Choice Democracy is not a State-form. The power of the people is the antithesis of the Statist principle. By maintaining with Marx, and against the Marxist tradition, this radical thesis, Miguel Abensour makes an essential contribution to the urgent task of returning the words 'politics' and 'democracy' to their original meaning. Jacques Ranciere, University of Paris This is a long-awaited translation of a very important book. Abensour presents an utterly persuasive reading of the early Marx in terms of the notion of 'true democracy' which cannot be reduced to the State-form. Thus there is a Machiavellian moment of political decision in Marx that exceeds the identification of politics with the State. The work is a hugely suggestive and important intervention into contemporary theoretical debates. Simon Critchley, New School for Social Research At a time when popular distrust of the State is monopolized by right-wing movements, it is healthy to be reminded that there is a powerful counterpart on the left. In his provocative defense of 'insurgent democracy,' Abensour shows the abiding power of a libertarianism unafraid to acknowledge its debt to anarchist thought and practice. Martin Jay, University of California, Berkeley

Democracy is not a state-form. The power of the people is even the antithesis of the statist principle. By maintaining - with Marx, and against the Marxist tradition - this radical thesis, Miguel Abensour makes an essential contribution to the now urgent task of returning the words politics and democracy to their original meaning. Jacques Ranciere This is a long-awaited translation of a very important book. Abensour presents an utterly persuasive reading of the early Marx in terms of the notion of 'true democracy' which cannot be reduced to the state-form. Thus there is a Machiavellian moment of political decision in Marx that exceeds the identification of politics with the State. Simon Critchley, New School for Social Research, New York At a time when popular distrust of the State is monopolized by right-wing movements, it is healthy to be reminded that there is a powerful counterpart on the left. In his provocative defense of 'insurgent democracy', Abensour shows the abiding power of a libertarianism unafraid to acknowledge its debt to anarchist thought and practice. Martin Jay, University of California, Berkeley

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Miguel Abensour is Emeritus Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Paris VII - Denis-Diderot.

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