Confronting Evil in International Relations: Ethical Responses to Problems of Moral Agency PDF
Preview Confronting Evil in International Relations: Ethical Responses to Problems of Moral Agency
C E ONFRONTING VIL I IN NTERNATIONAL R ELATIONS Ethical Responses to Problems of Moral Agency Edited by Renée Jeffery Confronting Evil in International Relations Previous Publications Hugo Grotius in International Thought (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005). Evil and International Relations: Human Suffering in an Age of Terror (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007). Confronting Evil in International Relations Ethical Responses to Problems of Moral Agency Edited by Renée Jeffery confronting evil in international relations Copyright © Renée Jeffery, 2008. Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2008 All rights reserved. First published in 2008 by PALGRAVE MACMILLANTM 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 and Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England RG21 6XS. Companies and representatives throughout the world. PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-37094-8 ISBN 978-0-230-61253-2 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9780230612532 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the Library of Congress. Edited by Renée Jeffery Confronting evil in international relations : ethical responses to problems of moral agency p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-230-60263-0 1. International relations—Moral and ethical aspects. I. Jeffery, Renée. JZ1306.C67 2008 172’.4—dc22 2007045688 A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. Design by Scribe Inc. First edition: June 2008 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents Acknowledgments vii Notes on Contributors ix Part 1 The Problem of Evil in International Relations Introduction: Evil, Responsibility, and Response 3 Renée Jeffery 1 Evil and the Problem of Responsibility 11 Renée Jeffery Part 2 Agency and Responsibility for Evil in International Relations 2 Individual Agency and Responsibility for Atrocity 37 Kirsten Ainley 3 Collective Evildoing 61 Arne Johan Vetlesen Part 3 Ethical Responses to Evil in International Relations 4 Evil, Agency, and Punishment 89 Anthony F. Lang, Jr. 5 Reconciliation: An Ethic for Responding to Evil in 115 Global Politics Daniel Philpott 6 Avenging Evil: A Reconsideration 151 Ian Hall 7 To Forgive the Unforgivable? Evil and the Ethics of 179 Forgiveness in International Relations Renée Jeffery vi (cid:79)(cid:3) Contents Select Bibliography 213 Index 223 Acknowledgments Questions of “evil,” its meaning and manifestations in international poli- tics, and the ethical challenges posed by its occurrence, have directed much of my research in recent years. While many, perhaps even most, people have questioned my sanity in taking on such a difficult, contentious, and in many ways unsavory subject, a number of valued colleagues from near and far have, nonetheless, sought to engage, on an intellectual and critical level, my ideas about evil as they have developed. In particular, I have ben- efited from conversations about this and other related subjects, as well as the support and collegiality of Kirsten Ainley, Judith Brett, Chris Brown, Ian Hall, and Tony Lang. During the initial stages of planning this collec- tion of essays I was employed as a lecturer at La Trobe University in Mel- bourne. I am extremely grateful for the support and encouragement I received from a number of my colleagues there, including Gwenda Tavan, Tom Weber, Judith Brett, and Dennis Altmann. The latter stages of writ- ing, editing, and compiling this book took place at the University of Ade- laide, where I took up a lectureship in the School of History and Politics in 2007. I would also like to acknowledge the contribution of Toby Wahl at Palgrave Macmillan for his assistance in getting this project off the ground in the first place. However, the people that deserve the greatest thanks for seeing this work to fruition are, of course, the contributors. This work brings together the insights and expertise of a diverse range of scholars: from the fields of International Relations and philosophy, and hailing from the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, and Norway, their areas of interest include international ethics, international law, moral philosophy, psychology, international relations theory, conflict resolution, the history of international political thought, and religion in international affairs. Each has made an invaluable contribution to the book, bringing their own viii (cid:79)(cid:3) Acknowledgments specialisations and perspectives to what is a subject fraught with contention and controversy. I would like to thank each of them for their dedication to this project over the past two years and for their cooperation and professionalism in the final stages of putting the work together. On a personal note, I would also like to thank Ian for his unfailing support, encouragement, and intellectual engagement, both at home and at work. Notes on the Contributors Kirsten Ainley is a Lecturer in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Politics. She completed a PhD thesis on “Rethinking Agency & Responsibility In Contemporary International Political Theory” in 2006 and is the author of “Responsibility for Atrocity: Individual Crimi- nal Agency and the International Criminal Court,” in Evil, Law and the State: Perspectives on State Power and Violence, ed. John Parry (Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2006), “The Social Practice of Institutional Responsibility,” in Responding to “Delinquent” Institutions: Blaming, Punishing, and Rehabilitating Collective Moral Agents in International Relations, ed. Toni Erskine (Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008); and, with Chris Brown, Understanding Interna- tional Relations, 3rd Edition (Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005). Her current research includes work on the politics of international law in general, and of war crimes trials in particular. Ian Hall is a Senior Lecturer in International Politics in the School of History and Politics, University of Adelaide. He is the author of The International Thought of Martin Wight (New York: Palgrave, 2006) and several articles on international theory and the history of international political thought. He is currently working on a collaborative project on international ethics and a book on utopianism and international theory. Renée Jeffery is a Lecturer in International Politics at the Univer- sity of Adelaide. She is the author of Evil and International Relations: Human Suffering in an Age of Terror (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008); Hugo Grotius in International Thought (New York: Palgrave Mac- millan, 2006); along with a number of articles published in International Affairs, Millennium: Journal of International Studies, The European Jour- nal of International Relations, The SAIS Review of International Affairs, and Conversations in Religion and Theology. Her current research includes work on the international dimensions of forgiveness, and a co-authored study of the intellectual history of international ethics.
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