CREATING THE STATE OF EXCEPTION? CARL SCHMITT’S POLITICAL THEOLOGY AND POST-WORLD WAR II ITALY
by Vincenzo Scalia
pp. 197-2014 23 (12,1) – January-June 2025 ISSN (online): 2539/2239 ISSN (print): 2389-8232 DOI: https://doi.org/10.14718/SoftPower.2025.12.1.10
Abstract
This article analyzes the development of the state of exception within the Italian context. The standpoints of the state of exception, that is, the prevalence of government over parliament, the limitation of civil liberties, the creation of a friend/enemy dichotomy, and the widespread use of governmental decrees. The analysis demonstrates how, in Italy, the state of exception operates peculiarly, as some parallel, extralegal powers, including organized crime, former neo-fascists, and NATO officers, co-operate with state apparatuses either to repress or create “enemies”. This is therefore a paradoxical aspect of the friend/enemy dichotomy, as State sovereignty is abrogated in relation to foreign powers. The article concludes that it is necessary to update, if not overcome, the friend/enemy dichotomy by promoting and implementing an inclusive dichotomy that excludes those who oppose such a wide-ranging definition of sovereignty.