“Una guerriglia universale”. L’inimicizia politica nella riflessione teorica dell’ultimo secolo

The political value of enmity is a recurring theme in theoretical reflection over the last century. This essay retraces some of the main phases in the investigation of this topic, starting with Carl Schmitt’s hypothesis on the “criterion” of the political. Following the analyses of key contributors to the debate, it focuses on the relationship between the “intensity” of enmity and the transformations of war. Finally, the authors show how the mutations of war towards a “world civil war” became evident after 1989, establishing an interpretive horizon of enmity that unfolds “beyond Clausewitz”, highlighting a shift towards an understanding of politics as a continuation of war by other means.