This colloquium was designed as an overview of the field of ethics and international affairs. Three basic questions provided its structure: What relevance do ethical considerations have in international conduct? Is ethical action possible, given the realities of national interests and power politics? And how, in ethical terms, can international acts be evaluated?
The class analyzed choices that are made about the use of force, resolving conflict, promoting human rights and social justice, encouraging democracy and development, preserving the environment, and participating in international organizations. Special attention was given to the American experience as a principal case study of ethics and statecraft.
WEEK ONE: What Constitutes an Ethical Approach to International Affairs?Perhaps the most difficult problem in "ethics and international affairs" is defining its parameters. What analytical frameworks are available? From where do they arise? Can we propose an approach that is interdisciplinary and rigorous?
In this introductory session, we confront two major challenges to normative approaches to international relations: the challenges of realism and cultural relativism. We also explore the vocabulary of international ethics, its sources, and the development of the field in the past 50 years.
Required Reading:
- Joel H. Rosenthal, ed. Ethics & International Affairs: A Reader, 2nd Edition (Georgetown University Press, 1999)
Suggested Reading:
- Terry Nardin and David Mapel, eds. Traditions of International Ethics (Cambridge University Press, 1992)
- Chris Brown, International Relations Theory: New Normative Approaches (Columbia University Press, 1992)
- Isaiah Berlin, The Proper Study of Mankind (Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, 1998)
The ethical approach to international relations is not new. In fact, many of the best known analysts have made ethics central to their thinking. It is interesting to note that the best known realists of our era—Kissinger and Waltz among others—have devoted much attention to the work of Immanuel Kant.
In this session, we explore in detail passages from George F. Kennan, Hans Morgenthau, Reinhold Niebuhr, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., Henry Kissenger, Isaiah Berlin, and others. Among the topics we address are: the moral standing of states; the demands and deficiencies of raison d’etat; individual vs. group morality; the meaning of human rights; and the possibility and limits of global governance.
Required Reading:
- George F. Kennan, "Morality and Foreign Policy" Foreign Affairs (Winter, 1986)
- Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., "National Interests and Moral Absolutes" in Cycles of American History (Houghton Mifflin, 1986)
- Hans J. Morgenthau, Politics Among Nations (McGraw Hill, 1986, 6th Edition)
Suggested Reading:
- Henry Kissinger, Diplomacy (Simon and Schuster, 1994)
- Arnold Wolfers, Discord and Collaboration (Johns Hopkins Press, 1992)
What moral frameworks do we have to analyze the challenges presented by humanitarian disasters and the need/obligation to intervene? Can we find guidance in just war theory or international law?
Discussion focuses on recent hard cases, and includes reference to recent developments in the United Nations as well as ongoing discussions in the West regarding risk, force protection, and the imperative to minimize casualties.
Required Reading:
- Jonathan Moore, ed., Hard Choices: Moral Dilemmas in Humanitarian Operations (Rowman and Littlefield, 1998)
Suggested Reading:
- Michael Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars, 2nd Edition (Basic Books, 1992)
- Stanley Hoffmann, Duties Beyond Borders (Syracuse University Press, 1981)
- David Rieff, "The Humanitarian Trap" World Policy Journal (Winter 1995/96)
- Michael Ignatieff, The Warriors’ Honor: Ethnic War and the Modern Conscience (Metropolitan Books/Holt, 1998)
The choices required to make peace are often as difficult as the choices required to use force. In this session, we explore the idea of "reconciliation" in its full complexity. This includes an analysis of recent examples of "moral accounting," including post World War II legacies of "Nazi gold," slave labor, and apologies for war-time atrocities.
We also discuss lessons learned from recent experiences with truth commissions, war crimes tribunals, and the movement to establish an international criminal court. The moral dilemma in these cases is often stated in terms of justice versus amnesty. We debate this idea, while also considering the roles of history and memory, as well as critique the academic discipline of "conflict resolution."
Required Reading:
- Ethics &
International Affairs, Articles from Volumes 12, 13, and 14
- Lyn S. Graybill, "South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission: Ethical and Theological Perspectives"
- David A. Crocker, "Reckoning With Past Wrongs: A Normative Framework"
- David Little, "A Different Kind of Justice; Dealing with Human Rights Violations in Transitional Societies"
- Susan Dwyer, “Reconciliation for Realists”
- Margaret Popkin and Nehal Bhuta, "Latin American Amnesties in Comparative Perspectives: Can the Past be Buried?"
- David Chandler, "Will There Be a Trial for the Khmer Rouge?"
Suggested Reading:
- Martha Minow, Between Vengeance and Forgiveness (Beacon Press, 1998)
- Elazar Barkan, The Guilt of Nations: Restitution and Negotiating Historical Injustices (W.W. Norton, 2000)
What does globalization and increased economic integration mean in terms of human rights and social justice? In empirical terms, is it true that globalization is widening the gap between rich and poor? Is globalization becoming a force of coercion and oppression? In normative terms, what choices are being made by various actors to alleviate the deleterious effects of globalization and to encourage its more positive effects? Special attention is given to the proliferation of non-state actors, especially multinational corporations (MNCs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as well as supranational regulatory and institutional regimes (WTO, World Bank, etc.).
Required Reading:
- “Is Global Capitalism Working?" Foreign Affairs Reader (1999)
Suggested Reading:
- Ethan B. Kapstein, Sharing the Wealth: Workers and the World Economy (W.W. Norton, 1999)
- Thomas Donaldson, The Ethics of International Business (Oxford, 1992)
- Amartya Sen, Development as Freedom (Knopf, 1999)
- Joy Gordon, "A Peaceful, Silent, Deadly Enemy: The Ethics of Economic Sanctions" Ethics & International Affairs, Vol. 13 (1999)
One of the central narratives of American history is that of American exceptionalism. Does this narrative provide a constructive way to view America’s role in the world? Special attention is given to the U.S. role in promoting civil rights, human rights and democratization. An effort is made to link domestic goals to traditional, realist foreign policy objectives. We discuss American views on unilateralism, multilateralism, and supranationalism. We also explore the relationship between nationalist, communitarian, and cosmopolitan worldviews.
Required Reading:
- Walter A. McDougall, Promised Land, Crusader State (Houghton Mifflin, 1998)
Suggested Reading:
- Tony Smith, America’s Mission (Princeton University Press, 1994)
- Martha C. Nussbaum, For Love of Country: Debating the Limits of Patriotism (Beacon Press, 1996)