In this Book

summary
Current debate over the motives, ideological justifications, and outcomes of the war with Iraq have been strident and polarizing. A Matter of Principle is the first volume gathering critical voices from around the world to offer an alternative perspective on the prevailing pro-war and anti-war positions. The contribu-tors—political figures, public intellectuals, scholars, church leaders, and activists—represent the most powerful views of liberal internationalism. Offering alternative positions that challenge the status quo of both the left and the right, these essays claim that, in spite of the inconsistent justifications provided by the United States and its allies and the conflict-ridden process of social reconstruction, the war in Iraq has been morally justifiable on the grounds that Saddam Hussein was a brutal tyrant, a flagrant violator of human rights, a force of global instability and terror, and a threat to world peace.

The authors discuss the limitations of the current system of global governance, which tolerates gross violations of human rights and which has failed to prevent genocide in places such as Bosnia and Rwanda. They also underscore the need for reform in international institutions and international law. At the same time, these essays do not necessarily attempt to apologize for the mistakes, errors, and deceptions in the way the Bush administration has handled the war. Disputing the idea that the only true liberal position on the war is to be against it, this volume charts an invaluable third course, a path determined by a strong liberal commitment to human rights, solidarity with the oppressed, and a firm stand against fascism, totalitarianism, and tyranny.

Table of Contents

restricted access Download Full Book
  1. Cover
  2. p. 1
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Title Page, Copyright, Dedication
  2. pp. 2-7
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Contents
  2. pp. vii-x
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Acknowledgments
  2. pp. xi-xii
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Introduction: The Liberal-Humanitarian Case for War in Iraq
  2. pp. 1-26
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Part One: Reconsidering Regime Change
  1. 1. The Case for Regime Change
  2. pp. 29-38
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 2. Liberal Legacies, Europe’s Totalitarian Era, and the Iraq War: Historical Conjunctures and Comparisons
  2. pp. 39-56
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 3. “Regime Change”: The Case of Iraq
  2. pp. 57-75
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 4. In the Murk of It: Iraq Reconsidered
  2. pp. 76-92
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Part Two: Philosophical Arguments
  1. 5. National Interest and International Law
  2. pp. 95-105
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 6. Just War against an “Outlaw” Region
  2. pp. 106-124
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 7. Moral Arguments: Sovereignty, Feasibility, Agency, and Consequences
  2. pp. 125-144
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Part Three: Critiques of the Left
  1. 8. A Friendly Drink in a Time of War
  2. pp. 147-151
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 9. Wielding the Moral Club
  2. pp. 152-159
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 10. Peace, Human Rights, and the Moral Choices of the Churches
  2. pp. 160-178
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 11. Ethical Correctness and the Decline of the Left
  2. pp. 179-190
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 12. Pages from a Daily Journal of Argument
  2. pp. 191-206
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 13. Liberal Realism or Liberal Idealism: The Iraq War and the Limits of Tolerance
  2. pp. 207-220
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Part Four: European Dimensions
  1. 14. Iraq and the European Left
  2. pp. 223-232
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 15. Guilt’s End: How Germany Redefined the Lessons of Its Past during the Iraq War
  2. pp. 233-242
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 16. The Iraq War and the French Left
  2. pp. 243-258
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 17. Tempting Illusions, Scary Realities, or the Emperor’s New Clothes II
  2. pp. 259-268
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Part Five: Solidarity
  1. 18. Antitotalitarianism as a Vocation: An Interview with Adam Michnik
  2. pp. 271-280
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 19. Sometimes, a War Saves People
  2. pp. 281-284
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 20. Gulf War Syndrome Mark II: The Case for Siding with the Iraqi People
  2. pp. 285-296
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 21. “They Don’t Know One Little Thing”
  2. pp. 297-308
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 22. “Why Did It Take You So Long to Get Here?”
  2. pp. 309-326
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Part Six: Liberal Statesmanship
  1. 23. Full Statement to the House of Commons, 18 March 2003
  2. pp. 329-339
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 24. The Threat of Global Terrorism
  2. pp. 340-352
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Contributors
  2. pp. 353-360
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Index
  2. pp. 361-372
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
Back To Top

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless.