Introductory Remarks, Symposium: Constitutionalism in the Post-Cold War World

Abstract

Scarcely a decade ago, a conference of this sort would have been more than an anomaly; it would have been presumptuous. If it took place at all, the speakers would have solemnly examined the grotesque crypto-constitutions of an assortment of totalitarianisms and authoritarianisms with a mixture of scientific detachment and juridical respect owed to sovereign efforts at political and economic self-determination. Consider how radically things have changed. In the contemporary international arena, citizens of one national community may concern themselves with, appraise, and even intervene in the crafting and maintenance of constitutions in other communities. The core constitutional principles of national communities are now legitimate matters of international concern.