Clearly there is much that Marianne Talbot is not aware of in the drone warfare discussions. The recent conference put on by the US Naval Postgraduate seminar might be a good place to look for people who are studying this issue deeply. However, her recent post about a weekend conference she held is interesting nonetheless.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Friday, October 2, 2015
Call for Papers
This item may interest some readers of this blog:
Theme: Just War Theory in an African Context
Type: International Workshop
Institution: University of Johannesburg
Location: Johannesburg, Gauteng (South Africa)
Date: 4.–5.4.2016
Deadline: 30.11.2015
__________________________________________________
Just War Theory originated largely in a Christian and European
context. What might it look like through the lens of
characteristically sub-Saharan African values and norms?
Answering this overarching question might involve addressing these:
Given a sub-Saharan ethical background, of, say, welfarism, vitalism
or communitarianism, would something akin to Just War Theory be
justified, or would something more pacifist (or realist) be apt? If
something akin to Just War Theory is on the cards, would the idea of
just cause be reducible to rebutting aggression? Regardless of that,
how would aggression be conceived? How might the good and bad central
to the proportionality test be plausibly understood? Might the
partiality salient in sub-Saharan ethical thought sensibly influence
what counts as proportionate? Would substantial weight be placed on
the need for a right intention? Would authorization from the United
Nations or some other collective body be considered essential in
light of, say, the emphasis African political philosophy has often
placed on democratic deliberation when it comes to conflict
resolution?
Prof Thaddeus Metz will be convening a one- or two-day workshop at
the University of Johannesburg devoted to these and related questions
(4-5 April 2016). If you are interested in participating, please send
a brief (100 – 300 word) abstract to tmetz@uj.ac.za by 30 November
2015. Workshop proceedings will aim to be published as a special
issue of a journal.
Some funding will be available to mitigate the cost of traveling to
Johannesburg, particularly for those based in developing countries.
(NB: Empirical discussion of particular wars and military conflicts
in Africa is welcome, but only so long as it is done to make a
theoretical or philosophical point.)
Contact:
Prof Thaddeus Metz
Philosophy Department
University of Johannesburg
B-Ring 6, Cnr Kingsway & University Road
Auckland Park, 2006
South Africa
Email: tmetz@uj.ac.za
Theme: Just War Theory in an African Context
Type: International Workshop
Institution: University of Johannesburg
Location: Johannesburg, Gauteng (South Africa)
Date: 4.–5.4.2016
Deadline: 30.11.2015
__________________________________________________
Just War Theory originated largely in a Christian and European
context. What might it look like through the lens of
characteristically sub-Saharan African values and norms?
Answering this overarching question might involve addressing these:
Given a sub-Saharan ethical background, of, say, welfarism, vitalism
or communitarianism, would something akin to Just War Theory be
justified, or would something more pacifist (or realist) be apt? If
something akin to Just War Theory is on the cards, would the idea of
just cause be reducible to rebutting aggression? Regardless of that,
how would aggression be conceived? How might the good and bad central
to the proportionality test be plausibly understood? Might the
partiality salient in sub-Saharan ethical thought sensibly influence
what counts as proportionate? Would substantial weight be placed on
the need for a right intention? Would authorization from the United
Nations or some other collective body be considered essential in
light of, say, the emphasis African political philosophy has often
placed on democratic deliberation when it comes to conflict
resolution?
Prof Thaddeus Metz will be convening a one- or two-day workshop at
the University of Johannesburg devoted to these and related questions
(4-5 April 2016). If you are interested in participating, please send
a brief (100 – 300 word) abstract to tmetz@uj.ac.za by 30 November
2015. Workshop proceedings will aim to be published as a special
issue of a journal.
Some funding will be available to mitigate the cost of traveling to
Johannesburg, particularly for those based in developing countries.
(NB: Empirical discussion of particular wars and military conflicts
in Africa is welcome, but only so long as it is done to make a
theoretical or philosophical point.)
Contact:
Prof Thaddeus Metz
Philosophy Department
University of Johannesburg
B-Ring 6, Cnr Kingsway & University Road
Auckland Park, 2006
South Africa
Email: tmetz@uj.ac.za
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Workshop: Frowe's Defensive Killing and Lazar's Sparing Civilians, NYC 29 - 30 Sept
Call for Registration: Workshop on Helen Frowe’s Defensive Killing (Oxford: OUP, 2014) and Seth Lazar’s Sparing Civilians (Oxford: OUP, in press).
Carnegie Council for Ethics and International Affairs
170 East 64th Street, New York
29 - 30 September, 2015
Speakers:
Jeff McMahan (Oxford)
Adil Haque (Rutgers)
Cheyney Ryan (Oregon and Oxford)
Massimo Renzo (King's College London)
Kimberly Ferzan (Virginia)
Christian Barry (ANU)
Yitzhak Benbaji (Tel Aviv)
Victor Tadros (Warwick)
Carnegie Council for Ethics and International Affairs
170 East 64th Street, New York
29 - 30 September, 2015
Speakers:
Jeff McMahan (Oxford)
Adil Haque (Rutgers)
Cheyney Ryan (Oregon and Oxford)
Massimo Renzo (King's College London)
Kimberly Ferzan (Virginia)
Christian Barry (ANU)
Yitzhak Benbaji (Tel Aviv)
Victor Tadros (Warwick)
The workshop is sponsored by the Australian Research Council, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, and the Society for Applied Philosophy. The workshop is free to attend (including lunch and refreshments), but places are limited. Participants are expected to read both books in advance (pdfs will be made available to those who register). Please email jonathan.parry@philosophy.su.se to reserve a place.
Thursday, June 4, 2015
New Ethics and War blog
The Stockholm Centre for the Ethics of War and Peace has launched a new blog that you may be interested in reading.
The Ethical War Blog will publish short and timely opinion articles on war-related topics in the news, written by specialists in the field, in an accessible and digestible format.
The Ethical War Blog will publish short and timely opinion articles on war-related topics in the news, written by specialists in the field, in an accessible and digestible format.
The blog launches with five articles, with new content to be added continuously:
- Prof. James Pattison asks whether arming rebels in conflicts such as Syria is preferable to military intervention. [LINK]
- Prof. Adil Ahmed Haque discusses ISIS, cultural destruction, and international law. [LINK]
- Prof. Yitzhak Benbaji and Prof. Alexander Yakobsen assess the morality of Hamas’ tactics during Operation Protective Edge [LINK]
- Dr. Jonathan Peterson asks whether defending cultural objects can justify waging war against ISIS. [LINK]
- Prof. David Rodin discusses the conflict between the right to free speech and the duty to avoid causing harm in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo massacre. [LINK]
Monday, May 25, 2015
Call for Chapters: Force Short of War
Call for Chapters
- - - Please distribute widely - - -
Force Short of War: A Multidisciplinary Normative Approach
Jai Galliott (University of New South Wales, Kensington)
& Daniel Brunstetter (University of California, Irvine)
The use of force short of war is now commonplace, in large part owing to casualty aversiveness and the explosion of emerging technologies. It usually involves the selective or limited use of military force by a state to achieve political objectives and assumes many forms. These include targeted killing, assassination, setting up no-fly zones, special-forces raids, very limited duration bombing campaigns or missile strikes, and ‘low intensity’ counterrorism and counterinsurgency operations. However, ‘force short of war’ also encompasses the provision of military support for regime stabilization or regime change through support of secessionist/independence movements. This multi-disciplinary volume asks a number of questions about the moral, legal and political status of such operations, the strategic situations in which such force is best used, and whether existing rules and regulations are sufficiently robust to deal with the moral challenges the use of limited force entails.
We welcome high quality abstracts from philosophers, lawyers, political/international relations theorists, strategists and other concerned researchers on any topic from the following (non-exhaustive) list:
- the difference between war and force short of war (and/or limited force)
- the role of traditional just war theory in modern conflict
- the need for a new third tenet: jus ad vim
- the limits of force short of war
- IHL and force short of war
- legitimate authority/authorisation of force short of war
- Low intensity conflicts in Syria, Yemen, Somalia and elsewhere
- targeted killing and assassination
- regime change
- secession
- drones
- links to the invasion of sovereignty
- autonomous systems
- cyber warfare
- the politics of force short of war
- the history of conflicts short of war
- counterinsurgency (guerilla) operations
- counterterrorism operations
- military/police dichotomy in conflict
- the ethics of arming rebels
- limited force and the responsibility to protect (R2P)
- the role of sanctions
- providing limited military force to help other governments fighting civil wars
- force short of war and the connection to peace
Abstracts should be 200 words in length, clearly convey the core argument of the proposed chapter and show a strong thematic connection. All abstracts should be accompanied by a biosketch of up to 150 words, detailing one's qualifications and research interests. Full papers are expected to be 7,000-8,000 words. We have interest from a ‘Category A’ university publisher and confirmed options with a ‘Category B’ press (A-E scale).
All submissions and questions should be directed to: jaichristiangalliott@gmail.com.
Deadline for submissions: 1 June 2015
Notification of acceptance: 1 July 2015
- - - Please distribute widely - - -
Force Short of War: A Multidisciplinary Normative Approach
Jai Galliott (University of New South Wales, Kensington)
& Daniel Brunstetter (University of California, Irvine)
The use of force short of war is now commonplace, in large part owing to casualty aversiveness and the explosion of emerging technologies. It usually involves the selective or limited use of military force by a state to achieve political objectives and assumes many forms. These include targeted killing, assassination, setting up no-fly zones, special-forces raids, very limited duration bombing campaigns or missile strikes, and ‘low intensity’ counterrorism and counterinsurgency operations. However, ‘force short of war’ also encompasses the provision of military support for regime stabilization or regime change through support of secessionist/independence movements. This multi-disciplinary volume asks a number of questions about the moral, legal and political status of such operations, the strategic situations in which such force is best used, and whether existing rules and regulations are sufficiently robust to deal with the moral challenges the use of limited force entails.
We welcome high quality abstracts from philosophers, lawyers, political/international relations theorists, strategists and other concerned researchers on any topic from the following (non-exhaustive) list:
- the difference between war and force short of war (and/or limited force)
- the role of traditional just war theory in modern conflict
- the need for a new third tenet: jus ad vim
- the limits of force short of war
- IHL and force short of war
- legitimate authority/authorisation of force short of war
- Low intensity conflicts in Syria, Yemen, Somalia and elsewhere
- targeted killing and assassination
- regime change
- secession
- drones
- links to the invasion of sovereignty
- autonomous systems
- cyber warfare
- the politics of force short of war
- the history of conflicts short of war
- counterinsurgency (guerilla) operations
- counterterrorism operations
- military/police dichotomy in conflict
- the ethics of arming rebels
- limited force and the responsibility to protect (R2P)
- the role of sanctions
- providing limited military force to help other governments fighting civil wars
- force short of war and the connection to peace
Abstracts should be 200 words in length, clearly convey the core argument of the proposed chapter and show a strong thematic connection. All abstracts should be accompanied by a biosketch of up to 150 words, detailing one's qualifications and research interests. Full papers are expected to be 7,000-8,000 words. We have interest from a ‘Category A’ university publisher and confirmed options with a ‘Category B’ press (A-E scale).
All submissions and questions should be directed to: jaichristiangalliott@gmail.com.
Deadline for submissions: 1 June 2015
Notification of acceptance: 1 July 2015
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Cécile Fabre on military ethics
Cécile Fabre has an interesting article on military ethics in the journal Ethics. She argues that we ought to separate the ethical issues involved in starting a war from the ethical issues involved in ending it. That sounds right to me. The article is also fairly thorough. You can comment on it at PEA Soup where you can also find a critical introduction by Helen Frowe.
Sunday, May 3, 2015
War and Peace in Political Thought - graduate conference, Budapest
From an email:
Central European University (CEU), Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) and the Pázmány Péter Catholic University (PPKE) jointly organize the First Istvan Hont Graduate Conference in Political Thought. The conference commemorates the legacy of Istvan Hont (1947-2013), influential Hungarian-born lecturer and writer on the history of political thought, Fellow of King's College at the University of Cambridge.
The conference is part of a larger framework of cooperation between the three host universities and aims to bring together doctoral students interested in political thought from various disciplines. The conference is devoted to the topic of ‘War and Peace’ in history, philosophy and political thought. Keynote speakers will include:
Catherine Zuckert (Nancy Reeves Dreux Professor of Political Science, University of Notre Dame)
TBA
The conference organizers invite doctoral students to submit their proposals which discuss issues of war and peace. Submissions are welcome from students of various disciplines such as intellectual history, philosophy, political science, or international relations.
The conference aims to investigate some of the following questions: How to define war and what were the past attempts to define it? Who is to wage wars, in what manner, for what reasons and are these questions relevant? Is peace only a lack of war? Will the next World War be indeed fought with sticks and stones? How is and was the theme of war and peace pictured in public discourses and in individual reflections? Topics based on these questions may include, but are not limited to the following areas:
- Theories of War: just war, realism, right of self-defense, militarism, intervention, religion and war, modernity and total war
- Theories of Peace: pacifism, non-violent struggle, limits of toleration, religious and secular peace movements
- The "next war": the “last war”, hyperreal war, cyber war, hybrid warfare, drones, crisis theory
- Discourses about war and peace: intellectuals and war, myths of wars, Cold War narratives, propaganda
The language of the conference is English.
Date: September 17-19, 2015
Venue: TBA (The event is going to take place at one of the organizing universities.)
Please submit your proposal of 300-400 words to hont.conf.2015@gmail.
Some support for accommodation or travel expenses will be provided for participants who have no access to institutional funding for academic travel.
Further information: https://
Friday, May 1, 2015
Nancy Sherman . . .
. . . the military ethicist, has a new book out and an Op-Ed in the LA times (see the responses too).
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Workshop on Lethal Agency
Stockholm Centre for the Ethics of War and Peace
Tuesday 12th May, 2015
Långholmen Hotel, Stockholm
Speakers:
Speakers:
Matthew Hanser (UC Santa Barbara) 'Trying, Risking and Wronging’
Adil Ahmad Haque (Rutgers) 'Human Shields’
Victor Tadros (Warwick) 'Causal Contributions and Liability'
Patrick Tomlin (Reading) 'Proportionality and Probability'
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Call for Papers: The Future of Just War
CALL FOR PAPERS:
The Future of Just War: Theoretical and Practical Challenges
Dates: October 7 – 9, 2015
Location: Naval Postgraduate School; Monterey, California
Deadline for submissions: May 15th, 2015
Notification of acceptance: June 15th, 2015
Any paper on any topic related to the ethics of war, just war theory, the moral implications for the future of warfare, or related issues will be considered. However, some preference will be given to papers that consider the ethical implications of new, emerging, and future military technology and the resulting changing nature of warfare. The conference organizers are specifically hoping for strong ethics papers on cyberwarfare and unmanned and robotic weapons systems. We also hope to have an interdisciplinary event and welcome submissions from a range of fields including, but not limited to: philosophy, law, public policy, political science, or related fields. Submissions from active scientists, researchers, or practitioners are also welcome, particularly insofar as those presentations could complement the ethics theme of the conference.
To submit a paper for consideration, please submit an extended abstract of 500 to 800 words. Full papers will also be considered. All submissions will be peer-reviewed.
Submit extended abstracts or full papers to JWTConference@gmail.com as .doc, .docx, or .pdf. Please put "Conference Submission" in the subject line of the email.
The conference is hosted by the Defense Analysis Department at the Naval Postgraduate School with generous support from the Consortium for Robotics and Unmanned Systems Education and Research, and in collaboration with the Stockholm Centre for the Ethics of War and Peace and the National Science Foundation.
Three graduate student stipends of $750 each will be offered to the best papers submitted by graduate students.
Organizing Committee: Bradley J. Strawser (chair), Fritz Allhoff, Helen Frowe, Rebecca Lorentz, and Amelia Simunek. Send any questions to JWTConference@gmail.com.
Keynote Speakers:
Jeff McMahan, University of Oxford
Adil Haque, Rutgers School of Law
Helen Frowe, Stockholm Centre for the Ethics of War and Peace
Confirmed Speakers:
Saba Bazargan, UC San Diego
Leo Blanken, Naval Postgraduate School
Wilson Brissett, United States Air Force Academy
Susanne Burri, University of St. Gallen
Janina Dill, University of Oxford
Ian Fishback, United States Military Academy
Seth Lazar, The Australian National University
Camber Warren, Naval Postgraduate School
The Future of Just War: Theoretical and Practical Challenges
Dates: October 7 – 9, 2015
Location: Naval Postgraduate School; Monterey, California
Deadline for submissions: May 15th, 2015
Notification of acceptance: June 15th, 2015
Any paper on any topic related to the ethics of war, just war theory, the moral implications for the future of warfare, or related issues will be considered. However, some preference will be given to papers that consider the ethical implications of new, emerging, and future military technology and the resulting changing nature of warfare. The conference organizers are specifically hoping for strong ethics papers on cyberwarfare and unmanned and robotic weapons systems. We also hope to have an interdisciplinary event and welcome submissions from a range of fields including, but not limited to: philosophy, law, public policy, political science, or related fields. Submissions from active scientists, researchers, or practitioners are also welcome, particularly insofar as those presentations could complement the ethics theme of the conference.
To submit a paper for consideration, please submit an extended abstract of 500 to 800 words. Full papers will also be considered. All submissions will be peer-reviewed.
Submit extended abstracts or full papers to JWTConference@gmail.com as .doc, .docx, or .pdf. Please put "Conference Submission" in the subject line of the email.
The conference is hosted by the Defense Analysis Department at the Naval Postgraduate School with generous support from the Consortium for Robotics and Unmanned Systems Education and Research, and in collaboration with the Stockholm Centre for the Ethics of War and Peace and the National Science Foundation.
Three graduate student stipends of $750 each will be offered to the best papers submitted by graduate students.
Organizing Committee: Bradley J. Strawser (chair), Fritz Allhoff, Helen Frowe, Rebecca Lorentz, and Amelia Simunek. Send any questions to JWTConference@gmail.com.
Keynote Speakers:
Jeff McMahan, University of Oxford
Adil Haque, Rutgers School of Law
Helen Frowe, Stockholm Centre for the Ethics of War and Peace
Confirmed Speakers:
Saba Bazargan, UC San Diego
Leo Blanken, Naval Postgraduate School
Wilson Brissett, United States Air Force Academy
Susanne Burri, University of St. Gallen
Janina Dill, University of Oxford
Ian Fishback, United States Military Academy
Seth Lazar, The Australian National University
Camber Warren, Naval Postgraduate School
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