Article
Shame on EU? Europe, RtoP, and the Politics of Refugee Protection
In this feature, Dan Bulley argues that there is little to be gained by invoking the RtoP norm in the context of the refugee crisis. Rather than bolstering the EU’s protection mechanisms, RtoP effectively authorizes the EU’s current treatment of refugees.
Capable and Culpable? The United States, RtoP, and Refugee Responsibility-Sharing
In this feature, Alise Coen takes as given that facilitating refugee protection represents an essential step towards upholding the norm of RtoP. By examining the past policy decisions of the United States, the article argues for culpability as a criterion for assessing responsibilities to refugees, and shows how upholding these responsibilities can align with state interests.
Trials as Messages of Justice: What Should Be Expected of International Criminal Courts?
After more than a decade of work, the accomplishments of the International Criminal Court are highly contested. In this article, the authors ask, what can and should we expect from international criminal courts? How can international trial and punishment constitute a suitable response to episodes of mass violence?
Self-Interest and the Distant Vulnerable
What interests do states have in assisting and protecting vulnerable populations beyond their borders? Today, confronted as we are with civil wars, mass atrocities, and humanitarian catastrophes that have cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians and generated the displacement of sixty million more, this question is as urgent as it has ever been.
Should International Courts Use Public Reason?
Is public reason an appropriate ideal for international courts? Since the early 1990s various political philosophers and legal scholars have argued that supreme courts should “use public reason” or abide by an “ideal of public reason.”
Rethinking Central Bank Accountability in Uncertain Times
As the dust has settled following the 2008 financial crisis and the economic dislocations that ensued, it has become clear that central banks have gained considerably in authority— using highly unorthodox tools to stimulate the economy, taking a greater role in financial regulation, and putting themselves in more politically sensitive positions.
Should We Take the “Human” Out of Human Rights? Human Dignity in a Corporate World
In recent years philosophical discussions of human rights have focused on the question of whether “humanist” and “political” conceptions of human rights are genuinely incompatible or whether some kind of synthesis between them may be possible.
Robots and Respect: Assessing the Case Against Autonomous Weapon Systems
There is increasing speculation within military and policy circles that the future of armed conflict is likely to include extensive deployment of autonomous weapon systems. The ethical case for allowing autonomous targeting, at least in specific restricted domains, is stronger than critics have typically acknowledged—but such targeting still remains ethically problematic.
