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51. Justifications of the Iraq War Examined

Author:
Richard B. Miller
Publication Date:
03-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Institution:
Carnegie Council
Abstract:
Imagine three cases: Corporal Greene returns to the United States in a body bag having been killed by an elite armed guard in a war that had been officially authorized as a defense of her country against foes who have the capability and desire to attack her fellow citizens and soldiers at home and abroad with acts of terrorism. Such foes may either be planning eventually to launch their own attacks or to facilitate attacks by others who have an established record of using terrorism against U.S. soldiers and citizens.
Topic:
Terrorism and War
Political Geography:
United States and Iraq

52. The Clash Within: Democracy, Religious Violence, and India's Future

Author:
Peter van der Veer
Publication Date:
03-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Institution:
Carnegie Council
Abstract:
The Clash Within is a lengthy account of the rise of the Hindu right and of anti-Muslim violence in contemporary India. There is little in the book that strikes the specialist as new or original, since the events and arguments it deals with are well known and extensively dealt with in the existing literature, but the author wants to address a wider audience. Nussbaum argues that her contribution is as that of a loudspeaker, since she feels that Indian developments are wrongly ignored in the United States and Europe. In her view, the reason for this neglect is ''the way in which terrorism and the war on Iraq have distracted Americans from events and issues of fundamental significance'' (p. 1). This is not self-evident, since one might plausibly contend that Iraq and the Middle East (including Israel) rightly attract more attention and are of more fundamental significance for American foreign policy than Hindu-Muslim antagonism in India. How-ever, Nussbaum's argument is not located at the level of geopolitics, but at the level of national political systems. She argues that the problem of how religious nationalism affects the largest democracy in the world is instructive for all democracies. From a philosopher one might expect a theoretical argument about democracy, nationalism, and religion to frame what we can learn from the Indian case, but Nussbaum's book surprisingly offers more journalism than theory.
Topic:
Terrorism
Political Geography:
United States, Iraq, Europe, Middle East, India, and Israel

53. Just War Theory and the Privatization of Military Force

Author:
James Pattison
Publication Date:
07-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Institution:
Carnegie Council
Abstract:
Since the 1990 s there has been a marked growth in the private military industry. Private military companies (PMCs) have been taking on an ever-increasing number of roles traditionally performed by the regular military. These range from supplying training, logistics, and other support services to engaging occasionally in actual fighting. This is most notable in Iraq, where the U.K. and U.S. governments have employed a host of ''security'' companies, such as Aegis, Blackwater, Control Risks Group, Erinys, Vinnell, and KBR. The use of these companies has by no means been limited to Iraq, however. Nor is it only the U.K. and the U.S. that have made use of their services. Other states, multinational companies, NGOs, and even the U.N. have hired PMCs.
Topic:
Privatization, United Nations, and War
Political Geography:
United States and United Kingdom

54. An Exchange: The Morality of Immigration

Author:
Mathias Risse, Ryan Pevnick, and Philip J. Cafaro
Publication Date:
09-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Institution:
Carnegie Council
Abstract:
In his recent Ethics International Affairs essay ''On the Morality of Immigration,'' Mathias Risse argues that attempts to understand the constraints that justice imposes on immigration policy ought to begin from the fact that ''the earth belongs to humanity in common.'' Risse goes on to suggest that a comparison of population density statistics provides prima facie evidence that ''the United States is critically underusing the resources under its control'' and that, as a result, ''there can be nothing much wrong with illegal immigration'' (p. 30). Without suggesting that humanity's putative collective ownership of the earth is irrelevant to the constraints justice imposes on the formulation of immigration policy, I want to argue—for two reasons—that Risse greatly over-estimates the relevance of such considerations.
Topic:
Immigration and Population
Political Geography:
United States

55. The Politics of PEPFAR: The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief

Author:
John W. Dietrich
Publication Date:
09-2007
Content Type:
Journal Article
Institution:
Carnegie Council
Abstract:
In his January 2003 State of the Union Address, President Bush called for the U.S to commit $15 billion over five years to address the international HIV/AIDS epidemic. For several reasons, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) caught many people by surprise. The surprise quickly was followed by excitement, tempered by skepticism.
Topic:
Politics
Political Geography:
United States