CURRENT ISSUE
Summer 2017 (Issue 31.2)
We are pleased to announce the publication of the Summer 2017 issue of Ethics & International Affairs! This issue contains a special section on legitimate authority, war, and the ethics of rebellion, with contributions from Christopher J. Finlay, Jonathan Parry, and Pål Wrange; essays by Yvonne Terlingen on reforming the UN secretary-general selection process and by Celia Medrano on de facto refugees in the Northern Triangle of Central America; a feature by Lior Erez on motivating soldiers to fight in cosmopolitan wars; a review essay on international security norms by Denise Garcia; and book reviews by Don Scheid and Jochen Prantl.
SPECIAL SECTION
Introduction: Legitimate Authority, War, and the Ethics of Rebellion
The three articles in this special section all investigate the idea that considerations of “legitimate authority” have a key role in constituting the modern idea of war and in determining the normative status of those who participate in it.
ESSAYS
Securing Protection for De Facto Refugees: The Case of Central America’s Northern Triangle
The Northern Triangle of Central America is one of the most violent regions of the world. However, those fleeing the violence are unable to find adequate protection either within their own countries, in the broader region, or internationally. This essay calls for updating the definition of the term “refugee” under international law, as well as greater domestic recognition of the violence.
BLOG
“Homo Economicus” and the Sanctions Tax
Do sanctions actually work, or do citizens in target countries simply factor the “sanctions tax” into their broader calculations of economic well-being?
The Costs of Solar Geoengineering
While Harvard’s research program could help us to better understand solar geoengineering, they should be careful not to oversell their program at the cost of broader climate action. Likewise, we should be careful not to think their program provides an excuse to avoid rapidly reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and carbon emissions.
BOOK REVIEWS
Preventive Force: Drones, Targeted Killing, and the Transformation of Contemporary Warfare, Kerstin Fisk and Jennifer M. Ramos, eds.
This collection of eleven original articles presents a wide variety of perspectives on what the moral and legal framework for preventive use of force by drones should look like. The most important chapter, however, thoughtfully questions the entire premise of using preventive force to combat terrorism.
Rethinking the New World Order by Georg Sørensen
This book provides an elegant account of the nature and inherent tensions in global order. By engaging with ongoing theoretical debates between liberal optimists and skeptical realists, the author seeks to bridge many divides in the field of international relations.
