Ethics, Nationalism, and Just War: Medieval and Contemporary Perspectives

At a time when moral questions about armed force are at the forefront of the public's attention, this volume offers insight on current challenges related to war, nationalism, and justice. Though recent publications on military ethics abound, this work adds to the debate by considering the historical background of just war theory in the Middle Ages, before going on to elucidating its contemporary challenges. The book covers a wide range of topics and raises issues rarely touched on in the ethics-of-war literature, such as environmental concerns and the responsibility of bystanders.

Following a general introduction by Henrik Syse and Gregory M. Reichberg, the book is divided into two main sections. The first addresses the cradle of the modern idea of just war in medieval Latin Christianity. The section discusses the relevance of medieval ideas to the modern setting, and explains why the study of the medieval roots of just-war thinking is so important even today. It includes essays on Ambrose, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Christine de Pizan, and Geoffrey Chaucer, not focusing, however, solely on the contributions of these writers but also providing an overall introduction to key concerns in medieval just war theorizing.

The second section of essays examines nationalism, intervention, preventive war, war crimes, and the environmental side-effects of war. All of these topics are treated within the relevant theoretical contexts, thus providing a rich overview of the state of the debate. While staying within the framework of a post-9-11 context, and raising several issues of relevance to the discussion about terrorism, this section also highlights several topics that have been overshadowed by the war on terror, but which merit attention in their own right.

One of the most comprehensive works on the subject, Ethics, Nationalism, and Just War is an important and accessible text for students and scholars alike.

Henrik Syse is a senior research fellow at the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO). Gregory M. Reichberg, also senior research fellow at PRIO, heads the institute's program on Ethics, Norms, and Identities. They are coeditors of The Ethics of War: Classic and Contemporary Readings, and have both published and taught widely on issues related to political thought and the ethics of armed force. In addition to the editors, contributors are J. Peter Burgess, Andreas Føllesdal, Kate L. Forhan, Phillip Gray, Dieter Janssen, James Turner Johnson, James Meernik, Gerson Moreno-Riano, Anne Julie Semb, Dan Smith, Arne Johan Vetlesen, and John von Heyking.

PRAISE FOR THE BOOK

"A unique and significant contribution to the field of just war thinking. The range and depth of the historical perspective and the precise applications to contemporary issues make it a truly useful collection of essays. This book has the potential to be the 'state of the art' comprehensive book on just war."—John P. Hittinger, University of St. Thomas, Houston

"A superb collection of essays. Readers will find both deep historical grounding for the just war tradition in late Hellenistic and Medieval writers, and essays on pressing contemporary issues of the environmental impact of war, the status of non-combatants in modern war, the moral and legal status of the nation-state and international institutions such as the UN, and the theory and practice of preventive war."—Martin L. Cook, U.S. Air Force Academy

"[P]acked with great ideas and provocative discussion. This is an excellent addition to the field and to any just war related library." — William Kautt, Journal of Military History

"[E]xcellent. . . . In approaching the just war tradition in this manner, the authors and editors of this volume have recovered something of that tradition's diversity and vitality. . . . [B]y emphasizing the protean nature and op