It Takes a Crisis: Dilemmas of Democracy in Norwegian Emergency Law

Abstract

The paper points to some of the dilemmas that might arise from the design and use of emergency power. It contextualizes such powers in a new landscape of justice and security, where I examine its practice in selected Western States after 9/11. Having set out this practice, I explore the origins of current emergency doctrines in political theory. This part aims to show that while the threats States are faced with today are to some extent novel, a proper response can be found by looking at the history of ideas. I then make some observations about the Norwegian model and, through inspiration by the historical part, offer some modest proposals for its modernization.