Symposium : Europe and International Law

• Gerstenberg, Oliver

Abstract

This comment argues that Koskenniemi’s postmodern irony with regard to concepts such as human rights and <it>jus cogens</it>, which views these concepts either as ‘kitsch’ or as mere ‘instru-ments in hegemonic struggle’, is not plausible, because there is, contrary to Koskenniemi’s postmodern-ironist assertions, no neutral platform permitting us to stand outside (and to look through) concepts such as human rights, democracy, <it>jus cogens</it>, and so on.