Just War Doctrine and the Invasion of Iraq

In this article we adopt the framework of Just War doctrine to assess whether the 2003 invasion of Iraq was just. The six criteria against which we assess the justice of going to war are Just Cause, Right Authority, Right Intention, Reasonable Prospect of Success, Proportionate Cause and War as Last Resort. We focus upon what was known and said by the US, British and Australian governments around the time they decided to invade and consider whether there was sufficient justification and authorisation for the Iraq War. The key pre-war issues discussed include alleged Iraqi possession of WMD and links to terrorist organisations, and the meaning of UN Security Council resolutions. We conclude that, as the Just War criteria were not satisfied, the invasion of Iraq was unjust.     

试析冷战初期杜鲁门主义在中国引起的反响

1947年3月,美国总统杜鲁门在国会的演说拉开了“冷战”的帷幕。杜鲁门主义成为当时世界舆论的焦点。本文意在把时空往前移至1947年的历史现场,利用亲历、亲见、亲闻的时人评论,探讨当时中国各界人士是如何看待杜鲁门主义、如何看待战争与和平,又如何看待美国的对华政策,使我们后人进一步走近历史,了解这一历史事件在中国所引起的反响,了解当时中国民众心里之所想,舆论之所在。     

Lessons of the Northern War on African corruption*

ABSTRACT

In the 1990s states, international non-governmental organisations, and capitalist enterprises launched a novel campaign against transnational corruption. This essay addresses how and when this campaign emerged, how corruption was framed as a product of African state failure and patrimonialism, and how radical changes in the global political economy, most notably East-South relationships, undermine our understanding of the actors and paths of transnational corruption.     

"新帝国论"与美国"整合外交"

近来,"新帝国论"频频出现于美国的舆论之中,包括美国一些重量级的美国学者、精英均在谈论新的"美利坚帝国".这种新帝国思想理念和政策取向的主要体现是反恐谋霸,追求绝对霸权、绝对领导、绝对安全和绝对军事优势."新帝国论"的出现与美国历史发展轨迹和现实因素密切相关.美国决策者认为,"9·11"事件的发生与第二次世界大战刚结束时的情况相似,"最重要的是要抓住这一机会重新界定美国的利益和对国际机制的立场",并以"整合主义"替代"遏制政策".对于难以通过"整合"手段达到目的的对象,可采取孤立、遏制和"先发制人"的策略.但是,美国是否会面临历史上帝国最终都曾经历的过度扩张导致失败这一困境,尚待观察.     

"布什主义"的走向与中美关系

布什政府外交政策的核心是以单边主义、“政权更迭”和先发制人式预防战争为特征的“布什主义”,其目的是追求美国的绝对军事优势和美利坚帝国。本文在对“布什主义”的实质,产生的学理背景和社会根源,以及其内在的矛盾和外部的阻力进行分析的基础上,推测未来几年美国外交政策走向和对中美关系的可能影响。本文认为,布什的美国远比一个新兴的崛起大国更加危险,但“布什主义”的内在矛盾、美国有限的资源和国内政治制度决定了它的前途并不看好。“布什主义”对中美关系影响有限,美国已开始接受中国崛起的事实,并试图通过接触,适应日益崛起的中国,保证其对华政策有双重保险。     

The Winner Does Not Take All: Lessons from the Israel-Hamas Conflict

Despite countless studies on victory in armed conflict, scholars disagree about the exact meaning of this term. This article, using primary sources in Hebrew and Arabic, aims to define victory and to discern between types of successful outcomes in war. We analyze three case studies of military collision between Israel and Hamas through a model featuring four levels: tactical, operational, strategic, and systemic. The study shows that in all three clashes (2008, 2012, 2014), the outcomes are difficult to evaluate because the boundaries between the definitions are foggy. It also concludes that neither side has achieved a strategic victory that breaks the status quo that has held since June 2007—though Hamas's leaders have claimed strategic victory due to the group's survival. Israel, without advanced planning, has relied on tactical wins for its strategic policy.