War

From the case of Edward Gallagher to recent statements by the Pope, current events encourage reflection on what it means to wage war ethically.

A holdover from a different time, the Letters of Last Resort signal a strategy of nuclear deterrence whose mode may be outdated, but whose message remains clear.

Nationalist rhetoric and policies are gaining traction, emboldening others to follow suit, and undermining our collective commitment to human rights.

Bladensburg's monument to veterans raises a number of thorny issues concerning the principle of neutrality, freedom of religion, and the foundations of law.

Why did two medical NGOs refuse to embed with Iraqi forces and provide treatment to Iraqi citizens who needed it?

North Korea's threats, most recently against Guam, pose questions of how the U.S. should ethically respond to a nuclear strike ordered by Kim Jong Un.

If Trump's strikes in Syria and Afghanistan are to be considered justified, they must adhere to certain standards of warfare.

Donald Trump's harsh condemnation of Bowe Bergdahl's alleged desertion makes trying the case particularly difficult.

Recent protests in Kosovo have highlighted the dangers of ethnic partition as a viable conflict resolution policy.

One thing that I noticed when I first heard media coverage of an Islamist group rising to power in Syria was that it was continually referred to as “the group calling itself ISIS” or “the group known as ISIL”.  If it had been one media outlet or one program, it might have slipped by.  But … Continue reading "Call them Daesh: Names, Meaning and ISIS"

On the ethics of studying abroad in a post-conflict city like Sarajevo.

In Serbia, traces of postwar trauma can be found in the use of a single word.

Lingering ultranationalism continues to plague Serbian politics, identity and attempts to seek justice.

Studying in the former Yugoslavia forced me to face the impossibilities of complexity.

The development of "killer robots" stands to change the way we think about warfare.

Drawing on images of beauty and atrocity alike, the poems of ISIS spark questions of how literature is defined.

On Thursday, President Obama announced that a U.S. drone strike accidentally killed one American and one Italian hostage in January. Both men were aid workers who had been held captive for a couple of years. Mr. Obama took the blame for the deaths as commander in chief, but officials stated that they did not know the hostages … Continue reading "Obama, Drones, and Hostages"

The conflict in Syria is a humanitarian catastrophe on a massive scale, with hundreds of thousands dead and millions of others forced to flee their homes. Recently, the BBC has attempted to expand the impact of the Syrian narrative by tapping into an intimate intersection between humans and technology: the video game. Journalist Mamdouh Akbiek … Continue reading "Electronic Empathy: Video Games as Media"

At the age of 18, all male citizens of the United States are legally required to register for the Selective Service, so that they may be called to serve in the military in the event of a draft. Although there has not been a draft since the Vietnam War, selective service registration resumed in 1980 … Continue reading "Gender and the Draft"

A new study conducted by the U.S. Army War College has found that U.S. Army officers regularly lie, and that the Pentagon is fully aware of that behavior.  Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel expressed concern about ethical behavior within the military prior to stepping down on Tuesday. This new study has found that the U.S. … Continue reading "Lying in the Military"