Terrorism and just War. Tamar MEISELS

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1 Année universitaire 2012/2013 Master Science politique, mention Théorie politique Semestre d automne Terrorism and just War Tamar MEISELS Course description The course deals with a variety of ethical questions concerning terrorism and counter terrorism, within the framework of just war theory and international law. What is terrorism? Can it be defined? Can terrorism ever be justified? What measures are legitimate in the course of combating terror? Is targeted killing morally justifiable? Should civil liberties be limited in the age of terror? What is a "proportionate" response to terrorism? Is torture ever justifiable? Are economic sanctions or sieges legitimate wartime strategies? Throughout the course we will consider such issues on the basis of traditional just war theory and its contemporary critics, as well as international law. Language of instruction: English Course requirements: 1. Attendance of classes and participation in discussions 2. Reading assignments as indicated on syllabus 3. Final paper. Readings, Outline and Schedule: Course Textbooks: Michael Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars (New York: Basic Books, 1977). French Edition: Michael Walzer, Guerres Justes et Injustes. Walzer/dp/ /ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid= &sr=1-2 Paul Berman, Terror and Liberalism (Norton, 2003). French Edition: Paul Berman, Les Habits Neufs de la Terreur (Paris: Hachette, 2004).

2 Giovanna Borradori, Philosophy in a time of Terror - Dialogues with Jurgen Habermas and Jacques Derrida (The University of Chicago Press, Chicago & London, 2003). Jeremy Waldron, Torture, Terror and Tradeoffs Philosophy for the White House (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010). Tamar Meisels, The Trouble with Terror (Cambridge University Press, 2008). All the readings marked with an asterisk (*) throughout are optional for individual reference and will be partially integrated in the lectures. Outline 1. Introduction: general outline of the course. Theoretical background: the rules of conventional war traditional just War theory and the war Convention/laws of war and its critics. 2. What is Terrorism? Definitions of terrorism [a) inclusive definitions; b) restrictive/narrow definitions?]. 3. Justifying Terrorism: can terrorism ever be justifiable? The apologetics of terror. Excuses: last resort, extreme emergency, weapon of the weak. Refuting the arguments. 4. Security and liberty in an age of terror. 5. Targeted Killing - assassination policies. Irregular warfare and "unlawful combatants" status, rights and treatment of irregulars. 6. Civilian immunity hors de combat. 7. Proportionality in "The War on Terror". 8. Sieges and Blockades, economic sanctions. 9. Investigative Torture. Torture and the "dirty hands" argument. Part One: Defining and Defending Terrorism Lecture 1: Introduction - Just War Theory and the Laws of War The rules that traditionally govern armed conflict. Background Reading: Michael Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars (New York: Basic Books, 1977), Part III: "The War Convention", Chapters 8 and 9. Lecture 2: What is Terrorism/Defining Terrorism: George P. Fletcher, The Indefinable Concept of Terrorism, Journal of International Criminal Justice (2006), pp Michael Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars (New York: Basic Books, 1977), Chapters 11-12, pp Recommended Reading: *Ted Honderich, After the Terror (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2002), pp *Jeremy Waldron, Terrorism and the uses of Terror, The Journal of Ethics, Vol. 8 (2004), Also in: Jeremy Waldron, Torture, Terror and Tradeoffs (OUP 2010), Chapter 3,

3 Further reading (for those particularly interested in this topic): *Igor Primoratz (ed.), Terrorism The Philosophical Issues (Macmillan, London & New York, 2004)- collected volume of essays. *Noam Chomsky, 9-11, Seven Stories Press, New-York 2001, esp.: 23, 40-54, 57, 73-4, Lecture 3: Is Terrorism Ever Justified? The Apologetics of Terrorism: Ted Honderich, After the Terror (Edinburgh University Press, 2002), esp. Chapter 1, available online at: (go to his index ). Giovanna Borradori, Philosophy in a time of Terror - Dialogues with Jurgan Habermas and Jacque Derrida (The University of Chicago Press, Chicago & London, 2003), Part 2, Dialogues with Derrida, in the English language edition. Refuting the Defense of Terrorism: Paul Berman, Terror and Liberalism, (Norton, 2003), Chapters II and VI. (in the English Edition: pp , ). Michael Walzer, Arguing About War (Yale University Press, 2004): Chapter 4: "Terrorism: A Critique of Excuses", pp ; And Chapter 10:"After 9/11: Five Questions about Terrorism", pp Part Two: Freedom, Security and Rights in a Terrorist Age Liberal Democratic Dilemmas: Lecture 4: Security and Liberty in an Age of Terror: Civil Liberties: Jeremy Waldron, Security and Liberty: The Image of Balance, The Journal of Political Philosophy, Vol. 11 (2), June 2003, pp Also in: Jeremy Waldron, Torture, Terror and Tradeoffs (OUP 2010), Chapter 2, *Tamar Meisels, How Terrorism Upsets Liberty, Political Studies, Vol. 53, March 2005, pp Republished in Tamar Meisels, The Trouble with Terror (CUP 2008), Chapter 3. Part Three: Fighting Terrorism: Week 5: Targeted Killing Tamar Meisels, Targeting Terror, Social Theory and Practice Vol. 30 (3) July 2004, pp Also in: Tamar Meisels, The Trouble with Terror, Chapter 5. *"Unlawful Combatants" 3

4 George Fletcher, Romantics at War Glory and Guilt in the Age of Terrorism (Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press, 2003), Chap 5, *Relevant Legislation: The Hague Convention (18 October 1907), Annex to the Convention, Section I On Belligerents, Chapter II Prisoners of War. Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, adopted on 12 August Protocol 1 Addition to the Geneva Conventions, 1977, Part IV: Civilian Population. The United States Military Commissions Act of 2006, Pub. L. No , 120 Stat (Oct. 17, 2006), enacting Chapter 47A of title 10 of the U.S. Code, Act of Congress (Senate Bill 3930) signed by President George W. Bush on October , esp. 948a. (The above are all readily available on the Internet just Google it). *Further Reading on the US TK policy: Claire Finkelstein, Jens David Ohlin and Andrew Altman (eds.) Targeted Killing Law and Morality in an Asymmetrical World (Oxford University Press, 2012). *Further Reading on Israel s TK policy: Israel's High Court Decision on Targeted Assassination. Available at: Alan Dershowitz, Killing Terrorist Chieftains is Legal, The Jerusalem Post, April 22, Daniel Statman, Targeted Killing, Theoretical Inquiries in Law, Vol. 5 (2003), Michael Gross, Fighting by Other Means in the Mid-East: a Critical Analysis of Israel s Assassination Policy, Political Studies, Vol. 51, 2003, Michael Gross, Assassination: Killing in the Shadow of Self-Defense, forthcoming in Irwin J. (ed.) War and Virtual War: The Challenges of Communities (Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2005). Stephen R. Davis, Israel s Policy of Targeted Killing, 17 Ethics and International Affairs (2003), 111. Lecture 6: Proportionality in "The War on Terror" Thomas Hurka, Proportionality in the Morality of War, Philosophy and Public Affairs 33(1) (2005), pp Michael Walzer, "On Proportionality", The New Republic, January

5 Further sources: Thomas Hurka, "Proportionality and Necessity" in: Larry May (ed.) Essays in Political Philosophy (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008), /9. Michael Walzer, "How Aggressive Should Israel Be?", The New republic, July Alan Dershowitz, "Israel's Policy is Perfectly Proportionate", in the Wall Street Journal, 2 January doc+Dershowitz+Israel%27s+perfectly+proportionate&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=il Lecture 7: Sieges and Blockades: Michael Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars (New York: Basic Books, 1977), Chapter 10, Oliver O'Donovan, The Just War Revisited (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), Chapter 1, pp and Chapter 4. Recommended Reading on the case of Gaza: HCJ 9132/07, interim decision on fuel to Gaza from 29 November See (unofficial) English translation of the advanced hearing, at: h_docs/english%20translation%20of%20hcj9132%20decision%20_2_.pdf Israel's Supreme Court decision on electricity reductions to Gaza: HCJ 9132/ January Lecture 8: Hors de Combat : who are they, and why? Controversies within just war theory Jeff McMahan, Killing in War (Oxford University Press, 2009), Chapter 5, pp *Jeremy Waldron, Civilians, Terrorism, and Deadly Serious Conventions. Accessible at: Also in: Waldron, Torture, Terror and Tradeoffs Philosophy for the White House (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010), Chapter 4, Lecture 9: Torture-the "Ticking Bomb" scenario: Henry Shue, Torture Philosophy and Public Affairs, Vol. 7, no. 2, 1978, Michael Walzer, Political Action: The Problem of Dirty Hands, Philosophy and Public Affairs, Vol. 2(2) (1973), , 167, reprinted in Sanford Levinson (ed.) Torture - A Collection (Oxford and New-York: Oxford University Press, 2004),

6 Recommended Reading: *Jeremy Waldron, Torture and Positive Law, 105 Columbia Law Review (2005), Also in Jeremy Waldron, Torture, Terror and Tradeoffs, Chapter 7, Additional further Reading on various aspects of the torture debate: Henry Shue: "Torture in Dreamland: Disposing of the Ticking Bomb", 37 Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law (2006), pp Jeremy Waldron, What Can Christian Thinking Add to the Debate About Torture, 63 Theology Today (2006) Also in Jeremy Waldron, Torture, Terror and Tradeoffs, Chapter 7, David, Sussman, What s Wrong With Torture? Philosophy and Public Affairs, Vol. 33 (1), 2005, pp Michael Moore, Torture and the balance of Evils, Israel law review, Vol. 23, Nos. 2-3, Special Volume on Torture (1989), Dershowitz, Alan, M. Is it Necessary to Apply Physical Pressure to Terrorists And to Lie About It, Israel Law Review, Vol. 23, Nos. 2-3 (1989), Dershowitz, Alan, M. Tortured Reasoning, in Levinson (ed.) Torture - A Collection (Oxford and New-York: Oxford University Press, 2004), Chapter 14, Tamar Meisels, The Trouble With Terror, Chapters 6-7. Israel Supreme Court Judgment on the interrogation methods Applied by the GSS, September Tamar Meisels, Torture and the Problem of Dirty Hands, The Canadian Journal of Law and Jurisprudence Vol. XXI No. 1, January 2008 (Chapter 6 in Meisels, The Trouble with Terror). 6