The Legal Theory of Carl Schmitt provides a detailed analysis of this thinker, who was so crucial to the development of Western legal thought. Recently, Carl Schmitt has become a significant figure in debates about the relationship between law and politics, at both a national and a global level. In spite of his prominence, however, Schmitt's legal thinking has received little specific attention. Here, Mariano Croce and Andrea Salvatore provide a thorough account of Schmitt's theoretical framework. Going beyond the usual, narrow, consideration of Schmitt's main themes - such as sovereignty, decisionism, political theology, and the friend/enemy distinction - this framework, they argue, is able to overcome the weaknesses of other legal theoretical and jurisprudential paradigms.