The editors of Ethics & International Affairs are pleased to present the Spring 2022 issue of the journal!
The highlight of this issue is a roundtable organized by Jesse Kirkpatrick on moral injury, trauma, and war, featuring contributions by Kirkpatrick, Daniel Rothenberg, and David Wood. Additionally, the issue includes feature articles by Yuna Han on the normative questions raised by universal jurisdiction, and by Megan Price on Sri Lanka's challenge to the standing of international humanitarian law. The issue also contains a review essay by Deen Chatterjee on Amartya Sen's memoir Home in the World, and book reviews by Mary Dudziak, Michael Struett, and James Ketterer.
ROUNDTABLE: MORAL INJURY, TRAUMA, AND WAR
IntroductionJesse Kirkpatrick and Daniel RothenbergIn August 2021, the United States withdrew from Afghanistan, ending a twenty-year war—the longest in American history. The past two decades of armed conflict, fought in complex environments among civilian populations, provided daily reminders of the ethical complexities of warfare. One concept that provides a promising path for reflection on such complexities is moral injury.
The War Is Over but the Moral Pain ContinuesDavid WoodThis essay discusses the moral pain that many veterans experience in wartime and the vast emptiness they often encounter when their military service ends.
Moral Injury and the Lived Experience of Political ViolenceDaniel RothenbergThis essay argues that moral injury is a useful means of addressing political violence at a societal level. It explores the term's value within international human rights discourse and practice, particularly in efforts to document and analyze the systematic commission of atrocities to achieve accountability and reconciliation.
Moral Injury and Revisionist Just War TheoryJesse KirkpatrickThis essay explores the relationship between revisionist just war theory and moral injury. It discusses how philosophical moral injury can inform just war theory.
FEATURES
Should German Courts Prosecute Syrian International Crimes? Revisiting the “Dual Foundation” ThesisYuna HanShould Germany be prosecuting crimes committed in Syria pursuant to universal jurisdiction (UJ)? This article revisits the normative questions raised by UJ—the principle that a state can prosecute serious international crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed by foreigners outside of its territories—against the backdrop of increasing European UJ proceedings regarding Syrian conflict–related crimes, focusing on Germany as an illustrative example.
The End Days of the Fourth Eelam War: Sri Lanka's Denialist Challenge to the Laws of WarMegan PriceDuring the final months of Sri Lanka's 2006–2009 civil war, Sri Lankan armed forces engaged in a disproportionate and indiscriminate shelling campaign against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which culminated in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians. Drawing on Clark et al.'s concept of denialism, this article details the nature of Sri Lanka's challenge to the standing of international humanitarian law.
REVIEW ESSAY
Identity and Shared Humanity: Reflections on Amartya Sen’s MemoirDeen ChatterjeeAmartya Sen's memoir Home in the World is a compelling read, giving a fascinating view of the making of the mind of one of the foremost public intellectuals of our time. This essay highlights some of the life experiences and lessons shared in Sen's memoir, grounded in his ideas of identity and shared humanity.
REVIEWS
Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented WarSamuel MoynReview by Mary L. DudziakThe concept of "forever war" has moved from the margins to the mainstream in recent years. In his important new book Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War, Samuel Moyn puts the law of armed conflict at the center of the forever war.
The “Third” United Nations: How a Knowledge Ecology Helps the UN ThinkTatiana Carayannis and Thomas G. WeissReview by Michael J. StruettIf the United Nations is to "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, pandemics, and climate change," as Tatiana Carayannis and Thomas G. Weiss put it in The "Third" United Nations, it must succeed at identifying viable global solutions, and solutions that reflect reasonable consideration of perspectives of people all over the earth.
Delta Democracy: Pathways to Incremental Civic Revolution in Egypt and BeyondCatherine E. HerroldReview by James KettererDelta Democracy makes important contributions to scholarly literature and to our understanding of international development and foreign policy concerning the complex role of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Egypt and elsewhere.
