Ethics & International Affairs, Volume 25.2 (Summer 2011)

Date: 06/30/11

Ethics & International Affairs, Volume 25.2

The summer 2011 issue features a symposium on "The Ethics of America's Afghan War," with the lead article by Richard W. Miller and responses by George R. Lucas, Jr., Jeff McMahan, Darrel Moellendorf, and Fernando Tesón; feature articles by Mary Dowell-Jones and David Kinley on global finance and human rights and John Dryzek on new ways to think about global democratization; and book reviews.

Symposium: The Ethics of America's Afghan War

The Ethics of America's Afghan War [Full Text] | 06/30/11
The United States has had a moral duty, at least since the end of 2010, actively to pursue negotiations with the Taliban and Pakistan to achieve a political settlement, conceding control of the Pashtun countryside to the Taliban. Author(s): Richard W. Miller

The Strategy of Graceful Decline [Full Text] | 06/30/11
While Professor Miller claims that just war theory cannot "provide sufficient guidance" on the question of Afghanistan, his concerns actually fall squarely within its purview, and do not suggest its inability to critique proposals to prolong the American and NATO presence in Afghanistan. Author(s): George R. Lucas, Jr.

Proportionality in the Afghanistan War [Full Text] | 06/30/11
Some of the questions Professor Miller addresses are concerned with proportionality, a notion whose complexities are only beginning to be appreciated. My modest ambition in this comment is to try to sharpen these questions and provide some assistance in thinking about them. Author(s): Jeff McMahan

Jus ex Bello in Afghanistan [Full Text] | 06/30/11
I agree with Professor Miller that just war theory is limited when it comes to judging whether and how to end a war. But Miller fails to understand adequately what these limitations are and the extent to which they can be addressed within just war theory. Author(s): Darrel Moellendorf

Enabling Monsters: A Reply to Richard W. Miller [Full Text] | 06/30/11
Richard Miller's two central theses rest on dubious predictions, and, more important, are morally objectionable. The United States would be perpetrating a major injustice if it enabled the Taliban to rule over any part of the territory and over any person. Author(s): Fernando R. Tesón

FIRST VIEW: Ending War [Full Text] | 06/30/11
I doubt that geostrategic considerations can play the role in moral assessment that Richard Miller believes they do. But the phenomena he is pointing to do illuminate important defects in traditional just war theory. Author(s): David Rodin

Choosing What to Do in Afghanistan: A Reply by Richard W. Miller [Full Text]
In this online exclusive, Miller responds to the comments by Lucas, McMahan, Moellendorf, Teson, and Rodin on his essay, "The Ethics of America's Afghan War." Author(s): Richard W. Miller

Features

Global Democratization: Soup, Society, or System? [Abstract] | 06/30/11
The prospects for global democracy are starting to receive serious attention from scholars and political reformers alike. This article identifies and compares three emerging ways of thinking about democracy in global politics—ways that the author refers to as a soup, a society, and a system. Author(s): John S. Dryzek

Minding the Gap: Global Finance and Human Rights [Abstract] | 06/30/11
This article highlights four technical aspects of the global financial system that offer an insight into the breadth and depth of global finance and its relationship with human rights, and that have so far been largely off the radar of human rights scholars. Author(s): Mary Dowell-Jones, David Kinley

Book Reviews [Full Text]

"Practical Judgement in International Political Theory: Selected Essays" by Chris Brown [Full Text] | 06/30/11
This collection of Professor Brown's previously published essays represents his contributions to international political theory, with particular reference to the nature of international relations, international relations discourse, and the exercise of judgment in foreign policy.

"Why Some Things Should Not Be for Sale: The Moral Limits of Markets" by Debra Satz [Full Text] | 06/30/11
Satz's fundamental argument is a normative one--namely, that markets should serve to promote a "society of equals." By transforming the market into a site for managing social relations, she provides a fresh approach to economic and political philosophy.

"Liberal Loyalty: Freedom, Obligation, and the State" by Anna Stilz [Full Text] | 06/30/11
In this highly engaging book, Stilz seeks to offer a liberal solution to the problem of political obligations. To do so, she reconstructs the "duty to justice" argument first developed by Kant and later defended by Rawls.

Briefly Noted [Full Text]

Briefly Noted [Full Text] | 06/30/11
This section contains a round-up of recent notable books in the field of international affairs.