Berkley Center

In Just War Thinking Eric Patterson reexamines the just war tradition from a contemporary realist perspective, arguing that a political ethic of responsibility should motivate the contemporary application of military force by states in order to protect international security and human life. Patterson addresses hotly debated subjects like humanitarian intervention, assassination, and the war on terrorism, as well as the need to develop principles for jus post bellum (justice after war). The book also discusses the influence of postmodernism on normative decision-making and the evolving relationship between morality and pragmatism in foreign policy.