PO 322 - Justice and War in International Relations

This course studies two great themes, justice and power, as they are worked out in times of war. During times of war opposing nations will each claim to have right on their side. Surprisingly, war expresses deep claims about justice. We begin with selections from Thucydides, who defines and describes the problem of justice and power for us. We conclude with Kant, who offers a hope that justice and power may be brought into accord (if not entirely reconciled). Several questions emerge: What causes wars, and what makes the cause right? Is patriotism a moral duty? Is war or peace the more natural condition for states? Is it possible to combine justice with power? To engage these questions we read the works of leading thinkers from the perspectives of the Islamic and Christian just war tradition, political realism, and international law, including Thucydides, Cicero, Augustine, Aquinas, Machiavelli, Vitoria, and Grotius. (Formerly PO 347)

Four credits.