War and Peace in The Law of Peoples

Rawls, Kant and the Use of Force

Bibliographic Data

ID20510375
AuthorsPeri Roberts (Cardiff University, corresponding author)
Year2018
Volume23
Issue4
Pages661-680
Publication date2018-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueKantian Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1369-4154 • E-ISSN: 2044-2394
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s1369415418000444
OpenAlexW2901522160
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited15

Where Rawls’s The Law of Peoples addresses war and the use of force then his position has often been identified closely with Walzer’s restatement of just war theory, as both positions appear to take nation-states, and the conflicts between them, to be the bedrock of the international system. On the other hand, Kant’s notion of a peaceful federation of states presents us with the notion of a world without war and where the international system is transformed. This article argues that Rawls’s account of the use of force is better understood if we read it with an eye to its resonances with Kant rather than with Walzer. Doing so rewards us with a clearer understanding of central aspects of Rawls’s account of just war and vision of international politics

International law · Just war theory · Law and economics · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Spanish Civil War · Use of force · Global Peace and Security Dynamics · Law · Philosophy · Political Philosophy and Ethics · War, Ethics, and Justification

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub