Ethics and International Affairs, SIS 614.001
American University
Spring 2003, Monday 9:55
am-12:35 pm
Professor Julie Mertus
Contact information:
Email: mertus@american.edu
Web page: http://academic3.american.edu/%7Emertus/index.htm
Office: SIS Annex 13
Phone: 202-885-2215 or 410-532-0423
(please do not call between 7-8:30pm or after 11:00pm)
Research Assistants: Maia Carter (202-537-0171), maiagrace@yahoo.com;
Laurie Rosenberger (202-248-1539), laurierosenberger@starpower.net
This course studies how different ethical traditions address central moral problems in international affairs. It compares and applies ethical traditions to some of the most pressing issues of our day: approaches to terrorism; the demands and limits of patriotism; the international drug trade; religious conflict; the use of force and humanitarian intervention; nuclear testing; U.S. membership in international organizations; foreign debt and economic development; multinational corporations and global environmental crises. This year (2003), the course will focus in particular on U.S. foreign policy.
The ethical traditions considered in this course include: realism; natural law; declaratory international law; cosmopolitanism; utilitarianism; contractarianism; and liberalism. We consider how each of these traditions provides the guidelines and vocabulary for ethical judgment. We also examine feminist and distributive justice critiques of the traditions, and consider the role of religion in ethical traditions.
The case study approach utilized in this course helps students develop their skills in policy analysis while gaining an understanding of the different approaches for debating the morality of international choices and actions. Students from all academic backgrounds are welcome; no prior knowledge of the subject matter is assumed. The course may be of special interest to students of international peace and conflict resolution, foreign policy, international development, international politics, religion, international law, public affairs and philosophy and religion.
The course is highly participatory and diverse points of view are welcome. Students take turns co-facilitating class discussions, and the course grade is based on this facilitation, a term paper, and in-class presentation. This class owes much to the work of the Carnegie Council for International Ethics, which has created many of our case studies and has supported much of the research utilized in the course.
This course seeks to encourage:
· practical application of philosophy and ethical theory to contemporary social problems;
· awareness of difficult ethical choices in global affairs and, in particular, consideration of how ethical and moral considerations influence leadership and decision making;
· exploration of the possible grounds for moral and ethical evaluation of the actions of states and of other important international actors (such as multinational corporations, intergovernmental organizations, etc.).
· development of students’ practical skills in policy analysis;
· interdisciplinary inquiry transcending traditional boundaries among academic disciplines and, specifically, providing a solid background in the foundational concepts and issues of both applied ethics as well as normative international relations.
There are three requirements for this seminar:
1. Ethics Policy Paper: 33%
Each class member will choose a major political address or document pertaining to an international issue to analyze according to the ethical traditions discussed in class. Appropriate choices include: a major presidential address (of any president, from any country), an official statement of a country’s foreign policy, a major UN declaration or an international treaty, or the constitutive documents of an international nongovernmental organization. Consider both the ethical orientations informing the document’s assumptions as well as the normative implications of the announced policy.
You will prepare a paper (approximately 10 double-spaced pages, exclusive of notes and bibliography) drawing from the course material and at least six additional sources (four of which cannot be web-based). The paper should NOT summarize the document you are analyzing, but it should attach the document as an appendix and refer to it throughout the analysis. It should include proper footnotes and formatting.
You are encouraged to choose a topic at the beginning of the course and to work on it as we move through the various ethical traditions. Students will present their papers on the last two days of class, and all papers are due at the beginning of the last class. Late papers will be accepted without penalty only in cases of extreme emergency and when arrangements are made in advance of the due date.
2. Seminar Presentation and Literature Review: 33%
You will sign up for one set of class readings on which to do the following: (1) Prepare three questions for the class and email them to the entire class (including me) no later than the Friday before our class meeting; (2) write a 6-8 page “literature review” on the assigned topic – stating each author’s main thesis and contribution to the study of international ethics – and hand in at the beginning of the assigned class (see Web page for instructions on preparing a literature review); (3) prepare a one-page handout for the class on one aspect of the readings – copy and bring to class; (4) lead or co-lead class discussion on the assigned readings.
Late literature reviews and bibliographies will be marked down ˝ grade for each day late. Papers handed in after the class meeting are considered late. If you are ill or have a family emergency, please try to switch classes with another student and then notify me of your arrangement.
3. Applied Ethical Analysis –33%
A major component of this course concerns applying the ethical traditions to specific problems. While all students must read and think about the problems in advance of the class on which they are assigned, you will be asked to choose one of them to analyze in writing. You are to apply the ethical tradition assigned for that class and answer any specific questions posed. In addition, you are to update the problem with any subsequent factual developments.
There is no page requirement for this paper.
A note on attendance:
Faithful attendance and active, informed participation are required. Please contact me before class if a serious health problem or other emergency will preclude you from attending class (work or internships are not considered an emergency). Three or more unexcused absences will result in a failing grade. On the other hand, superior attendance and participation will boost a borderline grade. Quality of participation counts more than quantity. This class will work best if everyone engages with the material. Diversity of opinion is welcome and respect for each other’s views and experiences is required.
Required Reading
The following books will be supplemented by a small packet (distributed in class) and other handouts. The case studies will be placed on reserve in the library. I have also requested that all books be placed on reserve.
Terry Nardin and David Mapel, eds, Traditions of International Ethics. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1992.
Martha Nussbaum, et al., For Love of Country: Debating the Limits of Patriotism. Boston: Beacon Press, 1996.
Joel H. Rosenthal, ed. Ethics & International Affairs: A Reader, 2nd Edition. Washington DC: Georgetown University Press, 1999.
Amartya K. Sen, Development as Freedom. New York: Anchor Books, 1999.
Andrew Valls & Virginia Held, eds. Ethics in International Affairs. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2000.
A Global Ethic: The Declaration of the Parliament of the World’s Religions. New York, NY: Continuum Publishers, 1998.
Suggested:
Karen E. Smith and Margot Light, Ethics and Foreign
Policy (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001).
Note: This schedule is subject to change. Any changes will be announced in class. Students who do not attend class for any reason still will be responsible for assignments and class notes.
Jan. 13: Course Introduction
(to be distributed and discussed in small groups)
Chris Brown, “Ethics, Interests and Foreign Policy,” pp. 15-32 in Ethics and Foreign Policy (packet).
**NO CLASS Jan. 20 ***
Jan 27: The Ethical and Moral Dimensions of Terrorism
CASE STUDY: NORTHERN IRELAND 1970-1990
Ariel Dorfman, “I Have Been Through this Before,” pp. 18-20 in Strike Terror No More (St. Louis: Chalice, 2001)(Jon Berquist, ed.)(packet).
Cheryl Kirk-Duggan, “Civil War, Civil Rights, World Trade Center,” pp. 30-46 in Strike Terror No More (St. Louis: Chalice, 2001)(Jon Berquist, ed.)(packet).
Jorge Secada, “September 11 and the Ethics of Violence,” pp. 76-85 in Strike Terror No More (St. Louis: Chalice, 2001)(Jon Berquist, ed.)(packet).
Jean Bethke Elshtain, “How to Fight a Just War,” pp. 231-235 in Strike Terror No More (St. Louis: Chalice, 2001)(Jon Berquist, ed.)(packet).
Valls, “Can Terrorism be Justified?” pp. 65-80 in Valls, Ethics in International Affairs.
George, “The Ethics of IRA Terrorism,” pp. 81-98 in Valls, Ethics in International Affairs.
Gordon and Lopez, “Terrorism in the Arab-Israeli Conflict,” in Valls, Ethics in International Affairs.
Ethics and International Affairs.
Feb. 3: The Ethical Traditions: Part 1: Realism
CASE STUDY: CONFRONTING REVOLUTION IN NICARAGUA: U.S. AND CANADIAN RESPONSES
Nardin, “Ethical Traditions in International Affairs,” pp. 1-22 in Nardin and Maple, Traditions of International Ethics.
Donnelly, “Twentieth Century Realism,” pp. 85-111 in Nardin and Maple, Traditions of International Ethics.
Welch, “Morality and the National Interest,” pp. 3-14 in Valls, Ethics in International Affairs.
Fotion, “Reactions to War: Pacifism, Realism, and Just War Theory,” pp. 49-64 in Valls, Ethics in International Affairs.
Hoffman, “The Political Ethics of International Relations,” pp. 28-49 in Rosenthal,
Ethics and International Affairs.
Feb. 10: The Ethical Traditions: Part 2: The Tradition of International Law; Declaratory International Law; Natural Law
CASE STUDY: NUCLEAR TESTING IN SOUTH ASIA AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO INTERNATIONAL TREATIES
Forseyth, “The Tradition of International Law,” pp. 23-41in Nardin and Maple, Traditions of International Ethics.
Jones, “The Declaratory Tradition in Modern International Law,” pp. 42-61 in Nardin and Maple, Traditions of International Ethics.
Boyle, “Natural Law and International Ethics,” pp. 112-135 in Nardin and Maple, Traditions of International Ethics.
Boyle, “Boundaries, Ownership and Autonomy: A Natural Law Perspective,” pp. 296-316 in Boundaries and Justice: Diverse Ethical Perspectives (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2001)(Miller and Hashmi, eds) (packet).
CASE STUDY: THE DEATH PENALTY
Jeremy Rabkin, “In Defense of Reasonable Lines: Natural Law from a Natural Rights Perspective,” pp. 317-334 in Boundaries and Justice: Diverse Ethical Perspectives (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2001)(Miller and Hashmi, eds) (packet).
Vincent, “The Idea of Rights in International Ethics,” pp. 250-269 in Nardin and Maple, Traditions of International Ethics.
Ernst Haas, “Global Evangelism Rides Again: How to Protect Human Rights Without Really Trying,” Policy Papers in International Affairs, no. 5, University of California at Berkeley, 1978 (packet).
Margo Picken, “Ethical Foreign Policies and Human Rights: Dilemmas for Non-Governmenal Organizations,” pp. 93-111 in Ethics and Foreign Policy (packet).
Jack Donnelly, "Post-Cold War Reflections on the Study of International Human Rights," pp. 242-270 in Rosenthal, Ethics and International Affairs.
CASE STUDY: THE U.S. INTERVENTION IN SOMALIA
Smith, “Liberalism and International Relations,” pp. 201-224 in Nardin and Maple, Traditions of International Ethics.
Julie Mertus, “Legitimizing the Use of Force in Kosovo” Ethics and International Affairs, 15, no. 1 (2001) (packet).
Caney, "Humanitarian Intervention and State Sovereignty" pp. 117-134 in Valls, Ethics in International Affairs.
Nagengast, "German and U.S. Intervention Against Yugoslav Sovereignty," pp.151-168 in Valls, Ethics in International Affairs.
Pasic and Weiss, "The Politics of Rescue: Yugoslavia's Wars and the Humanitarian Impulse," pp. 296-333 in Rosenthal, Ethics and International Affairs.
Winston, "An Emergency Response System for the International Community: Commentary on the 'Politics of Rescue'" pp. 340-344 in Rosenthal, Ethics and International Affairs.
Destexhe, "Holding Humanitarianism Hostage: The Politics of Rescue,” pp. 344-348 in Rosenthal, Ethics and International Affairs.
Chris Coker, “The United States and the Ethics of Post-Modern War,” pp. 147-166 in Ethics and Foreign Policy (packet).
March 3: Feminist Critiques of the Ethical Traditions: The Ethic of Care and Women’s Agency
CASE STUDY: ASSISTANCE TO WOMEN IN AFGHANISTAN
Fiona Robinson, Globalizing Care: Ethics, Feminist Theory and International Relations, Chapters 2-6.
Kimberly Hutchings, “Towards a Feminist International Ethics,” Review of International Studies, Vol. 26: 111-130 (2000)(packet)
Rebecca Grant, “The Sources of Gender Bias in International Relations Theory.,” pp. 8-26 in Gender and International Relations (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1991)(Grant and Newland, eds)(packet).
Sen, Development as Freedom, Chapter 8.
Ansary, Tamim. 2001. “Leaping to Conclusions [Well-meaning
observers are
making dangerous assumptions about Afghan women and their goals for the
future]” Salon. http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2001/12/17/role_of_women/index.html?x
Mar. 17: The Ethical Traditions: Part 5: Utilitarianism and Contractarianism
CASE STUDY: THE US WITHDRAWAL FROM UNESCO
(also refer to SOMALIA CASE STUDY in considering utilitarian tradition)
Ellis, “Utilitarianism and International Ethics,” pp. 158-179 in Nardin and Maple, Traditions of International Ethics.
Mapel, “The Contractarian Tradition and International Ethics,” pp. 180-200 in Nardin and Maple, Traditions of International Ethics.
Mar. 24: The Ethical Traditions: Part 6: Pragmatism
-- Multinational Corporations and Global Environmental Crises
CASE STUDY: SHELL IN NIGERIA: CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND THE OGONI CRISIS
Elfstrom, “The Ethical Responsibilities of Multinational Corporations: The Case of the North American Aluminum Companies in Jamaica," pp. 185-200 in Valls, Ethics in International Affairs.
Donaldson, “Moral Minimums for Multinationals,” pp. 455-480 in Rosenthal,
Ethics and International Affairs.
Goodwin, "International Ethics and the Environmental Crisis," pp. 435-454 in Rosenthal,
Ethics and International Affairs.
Oran Young, “Environmental Ethics and International Society,” pp. 161-183 in Jean-Marc Coicaud and Daniel Warner, Ethics and International Affairs (New York: UN University Press, 2001) (packet).
CASE STUDY: BRAZILIAN FOREIGN DEBT AND THE LIMITS OF FOREIGN OBLIGATIONS
Sen, Development as Freedom, Chapters 1-5, 8 and 13.
Jones, "Global Distributive Justice," pp. 169-184 in Valls, Ethics in International Affairs.
Cason, “What Ever Happened to the New International Economic Order?” pp. 201-214 in Valls, Ethics in International Affairs.
United Nations Development Program, Human Development Report 1999: Globalization with a Human Face, "Overview," available online at: http://www.undp.org/hdro/overview.pdf
James D. Wolfensohn, "Building an Equitable World: Address to the Board of Governors [of the World Bank and IMF], Prague, Czech Republic, September 26, 2000, available online at:
http://www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/am00/jdwsp/jdwsp-en.htm
http://www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/am00/jdwsp/jdwsp-en.htm
April 7: The Ethical Traditions: Part 7: Internationalism/Cosmopolitanism -- Patriotism
CASE STUDY: TBA
Chris Brown, “Cosmopolitanism, World Citizenship and Global Civil Society,” pp. 7-26 in Human Rights and Global Diversity (Essex: Frank Cass, 2001)(Simony Caney and Peter Jones, eds.)
Donaldson, “Kant’s Global Rationalism,” pp. 136-157 in Nardin and Maple, Traditions of International Ethics.
Martha Nussbaum, et al., For Love of Country: Debating the Limits of Patriotism, essays by Nussbaum, Appiah, S. Bok, Butler, Falk, Gutmann, Himmelfarb, McConnell, Scarry, Sen, Taylor, Wallerstein and Walzer, with reply by Nussbaum.
Harbour, “Basic Moral Values: A Shared Core,” pp. 103-123 in Rosenthal,
Ethics and International Affairs.
April 14: The Role of Religions in Making War and Peace
A Global Ethic: The Declaration of the Parliament of the World’s Religions.
Didier Pollefeyt, “The Kafkaesque World of The Holocaust: Paradigmatic Shifts in the Ethical Interpretation of The Nazi Genocide,” pp. 210-242 in Ethics After the Holocaust (St. Paul, Minn: Paragon House, 1999)(John Roth, ed.)(packet)
Sohail Hashmi, “Interpreting the Islamic Ethics of War and Peace,” pp. 194-216 in Islamic Political Ethics: Civil Society, Pluralism and Conflict (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2002)(Hashmi and Miles, eds.)
Max L. Stackhouse, “Theologies of War: Comparative Perspectives,” pp. 200-211 in Strike Terror No More (St. Louis: Chalice, 2001)(Jon Berquist, ed.)(packet).
.
NO CASE STUDY -- GUEST SPEAKER