Abu Ghraib, Administrative Evil, and Moral Inversion: The Value of "Putting Cruelty First"

The torture and abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison and at other sites in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Cuba raise disturbing questions that have few, if any, easy answers. Were these intentionally evil acts committed by a few bad apples who took advantage of the power they wielded over the detainees? Or were they cases of administrative evil in which the obvious evil of torture and abuse was masked from the perpetrators, including those who performed subsidiary and supportive functions? The more fundamental question is, are torture and abuse always wrong? How close did the United States come to moral inversion in this case? Judith Shklar’s concept of “putting cruelty first” aids our understanding of this case and points toward a trajectory that could help prevent future moral inversions and administrative evil.     

Framing and reframing R2P—a responsibility to protect humanity from evil

ABSTRACT

This article takes issue with de-politicised and moralistic conceptions of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) and, inspired by the political theory of Hannah Arendt, develops a ‘re-politicised’ and ‘de-moralised’ account of R2P. It argues that by relying on a link between a moral responsibility to ‘save strangers’ and practical political action, R2P turns a blind eye to the political interest of powerful actors. And by trying to transform R2P into a ‘blueprint’, ‘roadmap’ or ‘emergency plan’ for political action, many commentators try to render obsolete political deliberation and practical judgement on a case-by-case basis. The present article argues that it is necessary to develop a more realistic view of R2P’s role and potential in world politics. R2P, it is argued, has an important discursive function and considerable potential to influence and guide international decision-making processes. Drawing on Arendt’s conception of ‘evil’ as a crime against humanity itself, this article reframes R2P as a ‘responsibility to protect humanity from evil’. An Arendtian understanding of mass atrocities as crimes against our common humanity (i.e. as evils) facilitates the development of a re-politicised and de-moralised account of R2P: This account recognises its discursive role, it actively seeks to generate political interest for action in the face of harrowing mass atrocities but also acts as a leash on intervention in less severe cases.

Abbreviation R2P: Responsibility to Protect; UN: United Nations; NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organisation; ICISS: International Committee on Intervention and State Sovereignty     

The Relevance of Hannah Arendt’s Reflections on Evil: Globalization and Rightlessness

The centenary of Hannah Arendt’s birth in 2006 has provided the catalyst for a body of literature grappling with the legacy of her thought, especially the question of its enduring political relevance. Yet this literature largely excludes from consideration a significant aspect of Arendt’s legacy, namely, her account of evil and its devastating political reality. This article contends that the neglect of Arendt’s understanding of the dynamic reality of evil unnecessarily delimits the opportunities her legacy affords to diagnose forms of evil today. In particular, I propose that Arendt’s notion of evil and her unique insight into its dynamic reality remain very much pertinent in light of a globalizing world where the conditions of extreme deprivation and exclusion have become thoroughly bound up with the structurally unequal conditions of the global political economy. The persistent global poverty knowingly reproduced in and through policies and practices of economic globalization effectively renders vast numbers of people superfluous and “rightless,” resulting in a distinctive form of political evil. I conclude that more attention should be paid to the deeper pertinence of Arendt’s concepts of evil, human superfluousness, and rightlessness for contemporary political life.     

Murder on the Tokyo Subway: Nerve Centres,Religion and Violence

Abstract

The 1995 Tokyo subway attack by the Japanese religious movement Aum Shinrikyō represents one of the most dramatic examples of violence by a religious movement in modern times. Initially urban-based but with a rural communal presence, Aum believed that it had a mission to transform the world and fight in an imminent apocalyptic war between good and evil, and it engaged in numerous conflicts with the secular world it despised. While emphasising the significance of religious visions in Aum's activities this article examines the degree to which Aum's associations with the city of Tokyo also featured as an element in its violence.     

Fighting risk with risk: solar radiation management,regulatory drift,and minimal justice

ABSTRACT

Solar radiation management (SRM) has been proposed as a means of mitigating climate change. Although SRM poses new risks, it is sometimes proposed as the ‘lesser evil’. I consider how research and implementation of SRM could be regulated, drawing on what I call a ‘precautionary checklist’, which includes consideration of the longer term political implications of technical change. Particular attention is given to the moral hazard of ‘regulatory drift’, in which strong initial regulation softens through complacency, deliberate deregulation (‘regulatory gift’) and the limited constituency of people with the skills to regulate (‘thin markets’). I propose the strengthening of civil society groups to keep regulators in check.     

Providence Lost: ‘September 11’ and the History of Evil

Abstract

This paper discusses the philosophical significance of ‘September 11’ by relating it to attempts that have been made throughout the history of philosophy to read particular events as symbols of conceptual change. It draws especially on Susan Neiman's Evil in Modern Thought and Giovanna Borradori's dialogues with Derrida and Habermas, in her Philosophy in a Time of Terror, to relate ‘September 11’ to Kant's versions of Progress, Providence and Cosmopolitanism.     

The rise of Dr Walter Becher

Meir Kahane's accession to the Knesset in the 1984 elections sparked a debate about the implications of Kahanism in Israeli politics. Whilst the Israeli left saw it as a logical extension of Likud policy and entirely representative of the national religious camp, others maintained that it had more in common with secular Zionism. Consequently, Kahane was portrayed as representing one point on a continuum, rather than as an evil sui generis.     

Popperian Peacebuilding,Policing and the Liberal Peace

Abstract

In light of the quarrelling between advocates and critics of the liberal peacebuilding agenda, this article calls for the adoption of a ‘Popperian’ approach. This approach would be one that seeks to identify and address the greatest evils to fundamental liberal principles rather than undertaking swift and sweeping liberalization projects. Tolerance is therefore advocated in all matters that fall outside of this remit in order to temper the current zeal displayed by the liberal peacebuilding agenda. The article then considers how Popperian approaches and the ideal of tolerance were lacking in the case of peacebuilding in the security sector in Timor-Leste. In failing to ensure a clear separation of police and military forces that are apolitical, loyal to the state and professional in serving the liberal democratic polity, for example, international actors inadvertently allowed a ‘great evil’ to emerge. Rather than being distracted and diluted by a sweeping range of goals, international actors should seek to work from these fundamental concepts and be prepared to negotiate on less urgent matters.     

"Critchley is Žižek": In Defence of Critical Political Philosophy

Abstract

In an ironically ?i?ekian manner, this paper argues that Simon Critchley and Slavoj ?i?ek's apparent political disagreement (ludic reformist versus strident revolutionary) conceal a common set of preconditions and presuppositions. These presuppositions can be summed by the slogan "the for getting of political philosophy", which more specifically means the forgetting of the difference between philosophy and political life, and the reflective need to find mediations between the two. Critchley's turn to humour honours the notion that politics is about the realm of appearances, while ?i?ek's frank avowal of the "diabolical evil" of the subject of the death drive makes patently clear the dangers posed by a "politics of Truth".     

What undermines solidarity? Four approaches and their implications for contemporary political theory

Abstract

Solidarity is crucial for realizing justice, securing public goods, and reducing domination. Yet there have been few theoretical studies of its threats and vulnerabilities. In this paper I fill this lacuna, outlining four approaches to what undermines solidarity and considering their implications for contemporary political theory. I begin by reviewing the empirical literature on solidarity, noting that its focus on diversity and individuation has yielded inconclusive results. I then develop four alternative threats to solidarity by drawing from the history of political thought, social theory, and religious studies: interpersonal dependence (Jean-Jacques Rousseau); radical evil (Immanuel Kant); self-dissolution (Émile Durkheim); and moral spectatorship (Emmanuel Levinas). Taking these threats into account, I conclude, should significantly impact our normative theorizing about solidarity. In particular, it should encourage a research agenda that attends to solidarity’s affective, esthetic, and non-rational sources.     

US Policy and the Nuclear Weapons Ambitions of the “Axis of Evil” Countries*

This article examines US policy as it pertains to the nuclear weapons objectives of what the Bush administration identified as the countries making up the “axis of evil,” pre-war Iraq, Iran and North Korea. Having drawn the same conclusion as that appearing in the 2000 report of the Project for the New American Century, which alleged the involvement of these countries in illicit activities relating to nuclear weapons, the Bush administration initiated an overtly hostile and accusatory policy toward each of these nations after 9/11.Undeterred by the paucity of evidence and the failure to find a nuclear weapons program (or any weapons of mass destruction) in Iraq, the Bush administration has remained relentlessly focused on the nuclear weapons ambitions of North Korea and Iran, all the while ignoring or minimizing diplomatic efforts that are not hegemonic and confrontational. This paper stresses that for the past several years the Bush administration has not hesitated in using questionable and uncertain information relating to the nuclear weapons objectives of the “axis of evil” countries, even though it has demonstrated no interest in eliminating US nuclear weapons as the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty obligates it to do.     

Environmentalism: Movements,rhetorics, representations

Leif Ohlsson, ed., Hydropolitics: Conflicts Over Water as a Development Constraint. London: Zed Books, 1995.

John M. Donahue and Barbara Rose Johnston, eds., Water, Culture, &; Power: Local Struggles in a Global Context. Covelo, CA: Island Press, 1998.     

Romantic guilt and identity

Abstract

There is a kind of guilt that looks archaic, but which arises at the moment of Romanticism. One way of understanding it is as a response to a plight bequeathed by Kant. Kant's account of the subject secures the subject as such, but not the particular individual. The particular individual for Kant presents a risk, the risk of turning away from the good will defined by the categorical imperative to embrace one's own, particular good. Ultimately for Kant this entails the risk of radical evil. The peculiarity of Romantic guilt is that it seems to grant one ontological assurance for one's particular individuality. This paper explores and seeks to define the phenomenon of Romantic guilt as a possible aspect of tensions in lived experience, in particular between the universalism and moral autonomy associated with the rationalist, Enlightenment strain in liberalism, and the particularism and rootedness of cultural belonging associated with Romanticism. Romantic guilt emerges as having a constitutive function in relation to the self. The paper concludes with suggestions about ways in which further research might trace Romantic guilt in a collective form in nationalism and modernity.     

On Sugar,Capitalism, and Socialism

Elinor G. K. Melville: A Plague of Sheep: Environmental Consequences of the Conquest of Mexico . New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994

Douglas Murray: Cultivating Crisis: The Human Cost of Pesticides in Latin America ,Austin: University of Texas Press, 1994

Wes Jackson: Becoming Native to this Place . Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 1994.

Jeremy Brecher and Tim Costello: Global Village or Global Pillage: Economic Reconstruction From Ground Up .Boston: South End Press, 1994.

Wolfgang Sachs, editor: Global Ecology: A New Arena of Political Conflict . London and New Jersey: Zed Books and Halifax, Nova Scotia: Fernwood Publishing, 1993.

John Walton: Western Times and Water Wars: State, Culture, and Rebellion in California . Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1992.

Brendan Prendiville: Environmental Politics in France . Boulder, Co.: Westview Press, 1994.     

Europe: Past,present, future

Jean Monnet: The First Statesman of Interdependence. By FRANÇOIS DUCHÊNE. New York, Norton, 1994. Pp.458, notes, sources, publications, index. £22 (cloth), £10.95 (paper) ISBN 0–393–03497–6 and ‐393–31490–1.

Elusive Union: The Process of Economic and Monetary Union in Europe. By KENNETH DYSON. London, Longman, 1994. Pp.xiii + 361, index. £40 (cloth), £17.99 (paper). ISBN 0–582–225132‐X and 0–582–25131–1.

The Road to Monetary Union in Europe: The Emperor, the Kings, and the Genies. By TOMMASO PADOA‐SCHIOPPA, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1994. Pp.286, index. £30 (cloth). ISBN 0–19–828843–3.

The Rotten Heart of Europe, The Dirty War for Europe's Money. By BERNARD CONNALLY. London: Faber, 1995. Pp.xvii + 427, references, index. £17.50 (cloth). ISBN 0–571–17520–1.

Europe: The Strange Superpower. By DAVID BUCHAN. Aldershot: Dartmouth, 1993. Pp.181 index. £35 (cloth); £17.50 (paper). ISBN 1–85521–441–5 and ‐439–3.

The European Sisyphus: Essays on Europe, 1964–1994. By STANLEY HOFFMANN, Boulder, Westview Press, 1995. Pp.x + 313, index. £58.50 (cloth); £13.50 (paper). ISBN 0–81–332–3200 and ‐2381–9.

Redefining Europe, New Patterns of Conflict and Cooperation. Edited by HUGH MIALL. London: Pinter. The Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1994. Pp.293. Index. £45 (cloth); £14.99 (paper). ISBN 1–85567–257‐X and ‐258–8.

Governing the New Europe. Edited by JACKHAYWARD and EDWARD C. PAGE. Oxford: Polity, 1995. Pp.418, index. £45 (cloth); £14.99 (paper). ISBN 0–7456–1219–9 and ‐1220–2.     

Laborde,liberalism, and religion

ABSTRACT

In this introduction, we provide a brief overview of the debate on religion in political philosophy. We present the main arguments defended by Cécile Laborde in Liberalism’s Religion and explain how these arguments contribute to the debate.     

The definitive deng: Biography,memoirs, speeches and writings

Wode fuqin Deng Xiaoping, Volume One [My Father Deng Xiaoping] by Mao Mao (Deng Rong). Zhongyang wenxian chubanshe [Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, Party Literature Publishing House], Beijing, 1993. 672 pp., maps, name index. Rmb13.80.

Deng Xiaoping wenxuan Volume III [Selected Writings of Deng Xiaoping], Zhonggong zhongyang wenxian bianji weiyuanhui [Editorial Committee on Party Literature, Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party] Renmin chubanshe [People's Publishing House], Beijing, 1993. 418 pp. Rmb6.50.     

War,security and system change in the Pacific

Missile Defences and Asian Pacific Security, by Michael J. Mazarr. Macmillan, Basingstoke and London, 1989. xii + 226 pp. £29.50. ISBN 0–333–48228–X.

Asian Security 1988–89, compiled by the Research Institute for Peace and Security, Tokyo. Brassey's Defence Publishers, London, 1988. viii + 173 pp. £17.95. ISBN 0–08–036263–X.

Warfare in the Twentieth Century: Theory and Practice, edited by Colin McInnes and G. D. Sheffield. Unwin Hyman Ltd, London, 1988. xv + 239 pp. £28.00 hardback, £8.95 paperback. ISBN 0–04–355034–7 and 0–04–355035–5.

Border Crossings: Studies in International History, by Christopher Thorne. Basil Blackwell, Oxford, 1988. x + 313 pp. £29.95. ISBN 0–631–16062–0.

The Path to Vietnam: Origins of the American commitment to Southeast Asia, by Andrew J. Rotter. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, and London, 1987. $29.95 hardback, $9.95 paperback. ISBN 0–8014–1958–1 and 0–8014–9620–9.

Security and Economy in the Third World, by Nicole Ball. Adamantine Press, London, 1989. xxvii + 432 pp., 32 tables, 18 figs. £29.95. ISBN 0–7449–0021–2.     

Dragons,lions and gibbering demons

China: A New History, by John King Fairbank. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge MA and London, 1992. xvii ± 519 pp., photos, maps. £19.95, $27.95. ISBN 0–674–11670–4. The Lion and the Dragon: The Story of the first British Embassy to the Court of the Emperor Qianlong in Peking 1792–94, by Aubrey Singer. Barrie and Jenkins, London, 1992. xv ± 192 pp., illus, maps. £18.99. ISBN 0–7126–5444–5.

Britain's Encounter with Revolutionary China, 1949–54, by James Tuck‐Hong Tang. Macmillan Press, Basingstoke and London; St Martin's Press, New York, 1992. xiii+ 264 pp., £45. ISBN 0–333–54896–5.     

Citizens,denizens and exiles

The New Diaspora: The mass exodus, dispersal and regrouping of migrant communities. Nicholas Van Hear, London, UCL Press, 1998, ISBN 1–85728–837–6

The Citizenship Debates: A Reader. Gershon Shafir (Ed.) Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press, 1998, ISBN 0–8166–2881–5