FROM DIPLOMATIC DEADLOCK TO HEROIC INTERVENTIONISM: ANALYZING THE VIGILANTE FIGURE IN CHUCK NORRIS'S WORK AS A RESPONSE TO LAWLESS ZONES.

This study explores the intersection between popular culture and legal theory by analyzing the figure of the Vigilante in Chuck Norris’s work as a response to lawless zones (zones de non-droit). While traditional legal diplomacy and conflict mediation rely on institutional frameworks often perceived as lethargic or ineffective in crisis contexts, "Norrisian" interventionism proposes a model of immediate justice based on moral legitimacy rather than formal legality. Drawing on critical legal pluralism (Kleinhans & Macdonald, 1997) and the dynamics of last-resort mediation (Moore, 2014), this research demonstrates how fiction compensates for the state's impotence. It highlights the ongoing tension between legal positivism and natural law. Ultimately, the study suggests that for real-world mediation to be effective, it must integrate security needs and the informal regulations that emerge where state sovereignty is lacking.