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May 24, 2013  |  About the Berkley Center  |  Directions to the Center  |  Subscribe
 
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AT THE CENTER

Is the Military Use of Drones Ethically Defensible (Full Screen)

Michael Walzer on Moral Responsibility in Assymetric Warfare (Full Screen)

Micahel Walzer on Historical Precedents for Designating Combatants (Full Screen)

Michael Walzer on whether Drones Should Be Banned (Full Screen)

Is the Military Use of Drones Ethically Defensible? (Picasa Album)

RELATED RESOURCES: ["CONFLICT", "JUST WAR"]

John P. Gallagher
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Theodore McCarrick
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Karin von Hippel
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Brian Grim
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Faith-Based Peacebuilding: The Need for a Gender Perspective
Publication
(Inter)faith-based Peacebuilding: The Need for a Gender Perspective
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When I Call For Help: A Pastoral Response To Domestic Violence Against Women
Publication
Created in God’s Image: From Hegemony to Partnership
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Domestic Violence and Faith: A Toolkit for Faith Leaders, Faith Organisations and Members of Faith Communities
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The National Declaration by Religious and Spiritual Leaders to Address Violence Against Women
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Restoring Dignity: A Commitment to End Violence Against Women
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“It will not be so among you!”: A Faith Reflection on Gender and Power
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A Commentary on Religion and Domestic Violence
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Family Violence and Religion: An Interfaith Guide
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Responding to Domestic Abuse: Guidelines For Those With Pastoral Responsibilities
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Churches Say “No” to Violence Against Women
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Overcoming Violence: 40 Days to End Violence Against Women, Week 6
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Religion and Domestic Violence
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Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich on IRA Bombings
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Church of Ireland Primate Robin Eames on Implementing Northern Ireland Peace
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Hezbollah Charter on Interfaith Relations
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Muhammad Rashid Qabbani on 2007 Lebanese Political Stalemate
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Ayman al-Zawahiri's Response to the Ethiopian Overthrow of the Islamic Courts Union
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Desmond Tutu on Peace and Justice
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Jacob Zuma on Muslim South Africans at the Muslim Sultan Bahu Fete
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Reaperdrone

March 13, 2013

Is the Military Use of Drones Ethically Defensible?

Drones are one of the most controversial weapons currently employed by the US military. Despite their precise targeting capabilities, they have been heavily criticized for enabling civilian casualties, and their legality has been questioned both domestically and abroad. Michael Walzer, an expert on just war theory and the ethical use of force, discussed the history of targeted killings and assassinations, including the moral arguments for and against these actions. He focused on how the invention of the drone changes these moral arguments and will raise critiques of a qualified defense of using drones—putting forward an invitation to worry.
This event was sponsored by the Berkley Center, the Master of Science in Foreign Service Program, and the Mortara Center for International Studies.

Featuring

Michael Walzer

Michael Walzer

As a professor, author, editor, and lecturer, Michael Walzer has addressed a wide variety of topics in political theory and moral philosophy: political obligation, just and unjust war, nationalism and ethnicity, economic justice and the welfare state. His books (among them Just and Unjust Wars, Spheres of Justice, The Company of Critics, Thick and Thin: Moral Argument at Home and Abroad, and On Toleration) and essays have played a part in the revival of practical, issue-focused ethics and in the development of a pluralist approach to political and moral life. Walzer is Professor Emeritus of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ as well as a contributing editor for "The New Republic," and co-editor of "Dissent," now in its 56th year. He is currently working on the history and prospects of national liberation and also on the third volume of The Jewish Political Tradition, a comprehensive collaborative project focused on the history of Jewish political thought.