Annotation
This course is intended for masters students. Advanced BA students may attend, but should be in their third year or consult with the teaching assistant.
When do international actors prefer conflict, and when are they willing to compromise in order to settle their disagreements ? This course will examine that question in various ways, with the help of theories of international relations. Besides analyzing, we shall discuss ethical issues such as the morality of nuclear deterrence, Just War requirements, and the “dirty hands” ambivalence between an ethics of conviction vs. an ethics of responsibility. The contemporary case of the Ukraine war will be used as the most important illustration of the theories and ethical doctrines presented.
Thus, we will examine bargaining and negotiation approaches, explain why and how the weak sometimes prevail over the strong, study international crises, evaluate the impact of nuclear weapons on foreign policy. Rational choice, the sociology of organizations, political and psychological approaches to explain impediments and possibilities of action, will be used to better study decision-making in the complex world of foreign affairs, and to uncover its potentials for leading to dangerous crisis developments. Simple game-theoretical models will show the interrelationships between strategies and tactics of strength and weakness, promise and threat, violence and peace.
Focussing on states making decisions allows us to consider their morality. Ethical ideals do impede on states' decisions, but the critical question is, how much? So we will study the ethical doctrine of Just War, whether nuclear deterrence can be morally justified or not, and, more generally, the “dirty hands” ambivalence between what Max Weber called an ethics of conviction vs. an ethics of responsibility.
The contemporary case of the Ukraine war will be used as the most, but not the only, important illustration of the theories and ethical doctrines presented. The course aims at providing students with useful theories for their own analyses. Students will be encouraged to think deeper about their personal views of international relations and morality and critically evaluate both. Thus they will become familiar with concepts and theories helping them to develop their own thoughts about the challenges of international crises, wars, justice, and morality.
Full syllabus can be find as an attachment.
Visiting lecturer: Pierre Allan
Teaching Assistant (contact in case you have any questions): Zuzana Krulichová, zuzana.krulichova@fsv.cuni.cz
Moodle course, where ppt.presentations from classes will be uploaded continuously: https://dl1.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=10384 (password: ethics)