Georgetown University Press The Ethics of War and Peace Revisited: Moral Challenges in an Era of Contested and Fragmented Sovereignty

How do we frame decisions to use or abstain from military force? Who should do the killing? Do we need new paradigms to guide the use of force? And what does "victory" mean in contemporary conflict? In many ways, these are timeless questions. But they should be revisited in light of changing circumstances in the twenty-first century. The post-Cold War, post-9/11 world is one of contested and fragmented sovereignty: contested because the norm of territorial integrity has shed some of its absolute nature, fragmented because some states do not control all of their territory and cannot defeat violent groups operating within their borders. Humanitarian intervention, preventive war, and just war are all framing mechanisms aimed at convincing domestic and international audiences to go to war--or not), as well as to decide who is justified in legally and ethically killing. The international group of scholars assembled in this book critically examine these frameworks to ask if they are flawed, and if so, how they can be improved. Finally, the volume contemplates what all the killing and dying is for if victory ultimately proves elusive. Review How do we talk, think, and act upon a world where sovereignty is fragmented and contested? With sophisticated chapters written in tangible and accessible styles, reflecting a welcome diversity of theoretical approaches, this ambitious volume productively reconfigures and then abandons old debates over Just War, and then pushes us into entirely new conceptual and ethical directions. This book provides not only guidance, but hope, by recharting the field of international ethics in an era where both justice and war have been emptied of their meanings. Brunstetter, Holeindre and their contributors show us the way forward, and we would do well to follow their lead.--Brent Steele, International Relations, Professor, The University of Utah The post-Cold War era has seen considerable change in armed conflict. This collection of essays looks beyond the symptoms--new weapons, new combatants, and new doctrines--to the underlying changes in the norms and practices of sovereignty. It is essential reading for those working on the ethical issues surrounding contemporary armed conflict.--Amy Eckert, Metropolitan State University of Denver A valuable addition to any course or study on the ethics of war as a complement to or extension of classical works in the field. The collection nicely balances analysis with concrete examples and situations, a virtue of many of its individual chapters as well as its overall organization. --Reading Religion an engaging introduction to the difficult, slippery concept of "sovereignty" over recent decades. --Choice From the Back Cover Lethal force is a necessary, albeit tragic, feature of statecraft. Ethical frameworks help us think methodically about when war is justified, when it is not, how war should be conducted, and what makes for a just and lasting peace. These frameworks may also be misused to persuade domestic and international audiences about the case for war. The contributors to this volume critically reexamine traditional ways of thinking about the ethics of war and peace in light of the changing but contested norm of national sovereignty. Transnational militants, global counterterrorism strikes, and failing states that become regional and humanitarian disasters challenge traditional notions of sovereignty and borders. Failed military interventions and the elusive meaning of victory in modern wars call into question the moral imperatives of just war and the Responsibility to Protect. This book sets a new standard for ethical inquiry into critical debates about war and peace. About the Author Daniel R. Brunstetter is associate professor of political science at the University of California-Irvine and author of Tensions of Modernity: Las Casas and His Legacy in the French Enlightenment. Jean-Vincent Holeindre is professor of polit