The Ethics of War and Peace (Level 2)

This course is concerned with the ethics of war and peace in international politics. The approach taken is both theoretical and practical. Students will be introduced to the major theoretical approaches to ethical questions in international relations (i.e. realism, pacifism, just war theory and cosmopolitanism) and will be expected to evaluate their main strengths and weaknesses as well as to apply their logic to specific cases and situations. The central questions the course will explore include: Can the use of force ever be justified on ethical grounds? Is there really such a thing as a just war? Is it possible to provide an ethical justification for pre-emptive and preventive war? Are the tenets of the just war tradition applicable to conflict in the 21st century? Is humanitarian intervention an ethical practice or should the principles of sovereignty and non-intervention be upheld? Can the practice of torture be justified under specific circumstances? Should we pay less attention to the ethics of war and more to the ethics of peace? Lest we forget versus let's forget: (what) should we remember?