World Religions and Norms of War: Exploring the Links

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19 February, 2009

UNU organized a book launch and panel discussion, in both New York and Washington D.C., to showcase a new release entitled World Religions and Norms of War. Published by UNU Press 2009 and edited by Vesselin Popovski, UNU; Gregory M. Reichberg, International Peace Institute, Oslo (PRIO); and Nicholas Turner, UNU, the book originated from a joint project conducted by the UNU and PRIO.

Recent armed conflicts - domestic and international - have drawn fresh attention to age-old questions concerning when war can be justified, and what methods and targets are permissible during war.

Written by an international team of distinguished specialists in their respective traditions, the book takes the reader through the evolution of attitudes and teachings related to the ethics of war within the world's leading religious traditions. Over more than two millennia, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam have provided guidance in questions of when war can be justified, and of what methods and targets are permissible in war - while responding to pressing moral challenges.

Two of the editors, Vesselin Popovski and Nicholas Turner introduced the book, as well as highlighted its key conclusions and potential policy implications. They also participated in an interactive panel discussion, aimed at exploring fresh analyses of when and how world religions justify the use of force. The importance of examining such discourse arised from the fact that religions continue to be the foundation of human civilization and the central anchors of human consciousness and motivation.

"This extraordinary volume should speak to those who are fed up with the use of religion to fuel conflicts, and is especially propitious at this moment in our history, which signals a potential policy shift from a 'clash of civilizations' to a 'dialogue among civilizations'."

Dr. W. Andy Knight, Professor of International Relations, University of Alberta, Canada

"This book is both timely and timeless: timely because of the surge of interest in the subject of religion and war, and timeless because it covers millennia of evolving human thought and principles. It is incredibly rich - in historical description, in scriptural references, and in illustrations of diversity within each religion."

Dr. Walter Dorn, Professor, Royal Military College, Canada

Recommended reading: Research Brief: Religious Perspectives on the Use of Force

Listen to the NEW YORK Event Audio Here:

DOWNLOAD THE EVENT AUDIOS FOR THE NEW YORK EVENT and WASHINGTON D.C. EVENT

EVENT SUMMARY

PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE EVENT:

NEW YORK EVENT:

Date: 19 February 2009
Time: 3:30pm - 5:30pm
Venue: Conference Room 7, UN Headquarters
Moderator: Jean-Marc Coicaud, Director of UNU-ONY

Opening remarks:

H.E. Ambassador Khalid Al-Nafisee, Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia H.E. Archbishop Migliore, Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See Discussants: Walter Dorn, Royal Military College (Canada) Henrik Syse, International Peace Institute (Oslo)

WASHINGTON D.C. EVENT:

Date: 20 February 2009
Time: 2:00pm-3:30pm
Venue: 2nd Floor Conference Room, United States Institute of Peace
Moderator:
David Smock, United States Institute of Peace
Discussants:
Henrik Syse, International Peace Institute (Oslo)
Marshall Breger, Columbus School of Law

*We regret to inform you that Gregory Reichberg (one of the editors), was uanble to speak at the events.

SPEAKER PROFILES:

Ambassador Al-Nafisee
Please click here

Archbishop Migliore

A native of Cuneo, in the Piedmont region of Italy, His Excellency Archbishop Celestino Migliore was born on 1 July 1952. He was ordained a priest on 25 June 1977. Archbishop Migliore obtained his master's degree in theology at the Center of Theological Studies in Fossano. He then pursued his studies at the Pontifical Lateran University, where he was awarded the Doctorate in Canon Law. In 1980, after graduating from the Pontifical Academy for Ecclesiastical Diplomacy, he joined the Holy See's diplomatic service. From December 1995 to October 2002, he served as Under-Secretary of the Section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State, at the Vatican. On 30 October 2002, His Holiness Pope John Paul II nominated Archbishop Celestino Migliore as Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, in New York.

Vesselin Popovski

Dr. Vesselin Popovski is Senior Academic Programme Officer and Director of Studies on International Order and Justice in the Peace and Governance Programme of the United Nations University. He is a former diplomat, serving as a UN Desk Officer at the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry and later as First Secretary at the Bulgarian Embassy in London. Lecturer and Program Director at the Centre for European Studies, Exeter University, UK (1999-2002). He has published on intervention, human rights, the International Criminal Court, and UN reforms. His most recent book is International Criminal Accountability and the Rights of Children (co-edited with K. Arts, Hague Academic Press, 2006).

Gregory M. Reichberg

Gregory M. Reichberg is Research Professor at the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO). He holds adjunct positions at the Norwegian School of Theology (Oslo) and the Australian National University (Canberra). He has co-edited The Ethics of War (Blackwell, 2006) and Ethics, Nationalism, and Just War (Catholic University of America Press, 2007). Reichberg has published widely on historical aspects of just war theory, including, most recently Jus ad Bellum in War: Essays in Political Philosophy (Cambridge University Press, 2008), and Just War and Regular War: Competing Paradigms, in Just and Unjust Warriors (Oxford University Press, 2008).

Nicholas Turner

Nicholas Turner is Academic Programme Associate in the Peace and Governance Programme of the United Nations University. He completed his M.A. in International Relations at the University of Kent in the UK, and previously worked for local government and charities there. He has taught at Aoyama Gakuin University and Hosei University in Tokyo, Japan. His specific research interests lie in human rights and ethics, focusing in particular on just war theory, the universalism/cultural relativism debate, the Responsibility to Protect, terrorism and justifications for derogations from human rights obligations. He is currently engaged in research into the implications for just war theory of the increased role of private military companies and other non-state actors in military conflict.

Walter Dorn

Walter Dorn is an associate professor of defence studies at the Royal Military College of Canada and the Canadian Forces College. He is a scientist by training (Ph.D. in Chemistry form the University of Toronto), and he applies his eclectic background to peace and conflict studies. He currently serves as a consultant with the UN's Department of Peacekeeping Operations examining how advanced monitoring and surveillance technologies can enhance UN peace operations. Dr. Dorn has extensive experience in field missions, having served with the United Nations Mission in East Timor and worked on UNDP projects in Ethiopia, as well as working at UN headquarters as a Training Adviser. He is also pursuing an active research programme on religious approaches towards war and peace. His review of the scriptures in seven world religions is about to be published by one of his research funders, Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC).

Henrik Syse

Henrik Syse is a philosopher. He holds a Master's degree from Boston College and a Ph.D. from the University of Oslo. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO). From 2005 to 2007 he was the Head of Corporate Governance at Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), which manages the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global, one of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds. Henrik has published many books and articles on ethics and politics, including Ethics of War: Classic and Contemporary Readings (edited with Gregory Reichberg and Henrik Syse; Oxford: Blackwell, 2007), and Natural Law, Religion, and Rights (South Bend: St. Augustine's Press, 2007).

David Smock

David R. Smock is the vice president of the Institute's Center for Mediation and Conflict Resolution and associate vice president of the Religion and Peacemaking program, one of the Centers of Innovation. Previously he served as director of the USIP's Grant Program and coordinator of Africa activities. From 1980 to 1986, Smock served concurrently as director of the South African Education Program, a scholarship program that brings black South African students to U.S. universities and vice president for program development and research for the Institute of International Education. After serving as executive associate to the president of the United Church of Christ from 1986 to 1989, Smock became executive director of International Voluntary Services, supervising development projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America. He received an M.Div. from New York Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in anthropology from Cornell University.

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Page last modified Last modified: November 02 2009 at 05:12:07 PM.

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19 February, 2009