Liberal government, as analysed by Foucault, is a project of measured, utilitarian political activity, that takes ‘population’ as its object, dating back to the late 17th century. The rise of nationalism, authoritarianism and populism directly challenges this project, by seeking to re-introduce excessive, gratuitous and performative modes of power back into liberal societies. This article examines the relationship and tensions between government and sovereignty, so as to make sense of this apparent ‘revenge of sovereignty on government’. It argues that neoliberalism has been a crucial factor in the return of sovereignty as a ‘problem’ of contemporary societies. Neoliberalism tacitly generates new centres of sovereign power, which have become publicly visible since 2008, leading to a dramatic resurgence of discourses and claims to ‘sovereignty’.

正如福柯所分析的那样，自由政府是一个有计划的，功利主义的政治活动项目，该项目以“人口”为对象，其历史可以追溯到17世纪后期。民族主义，威权主义和民粹主义的兴起，通过试图将过分，免费和执行的权力模式重新引入自由社会，直接挑战了这个项目。本文研究了政府与主权之间的关系和紧张关系，以弄清这种明显的“主权对政府的报复”。它认为，新自由主义一直是主权作为当代社会“问题”回归的关键因素。新自由主义默契地产生了新的主权权力中心，自2008年以来，这些中心已在公众面前广为人知，从而导致话语和“主权”主张急剧复苏。