Issue 23.4
Briefly Noted
This section contains a round-up of recent notable books in the field of international affairs.
Universal Human Rights in a World of Difference by Brooke A. Ackerly
In a book full of thought-provoking questions for theorists of human rights, Ackerly presents an “account of the normative legitimacy of human rights” that is distinctive in several respects.
Ethics of Global Development: Agency, Capability, and Deliberative Democracy by David A. Crocker
This book is highly recommended to anyone who wants to know what development ethics has to offer, or who wants to engage with arguments on the role of the capability approach and ideas of deliberative democracy in development ethics.
Messy Morality: The Challenge of Politics by C. A. J. Coady
The principal and worthwhile contribution of this book is to resituate the debate about moral realism where it belongs, in terms of its pragmatic employment and its ability to accommodate ideals and values.
The Religious in Responses to Mass Atrocity: Interdisciplinary Perspectives Edited by Thomas Brudholm and Thomas Cushman
What is the contribution of religious discourse to a productive and reconciliatory response to mass atrocities? In this wide-ranging book, scholars address the philosophical, ethical, sociological, and religious approaches to post-violence politics and societies.
War, Torture and Terrorism: Rethinking the Rules of International Security Edited by Anthony F. Lang, Jr., and Amanda Russell Beattie
This volume provides a fresh and engaging set of discussions, approaches, and case studies on how rules established to promote peaceful international order can instead result in conflict.
In Pursuit of Peace
Traditional international relations scholarship has concentrated on war, but has not provided deep theoretical consideration of the concept of peace.While the focus of each of these three books differs, they share a common goal: to better place “peace” into the study of international affairs.
An Ethic of Political Reconciliation
The core proposition of this article is that reconciliation, both as a process and an end state, is a concept of justice. Its animating virtue is mercy and its goal is peace. These concepts are expressed most deeply in religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
