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Dying for the State: The Missing Just War Question?

Baron, Ilan Zvi

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Abstract

This article introduces the problem of having to risk one's life for the state in war, asking first why this question is no longer asked in the just war literature and then suggesting five issues that relate to this question: 1) that of individual consent, 2) whether or not any state can be justified in obliging its citizens in this regard and whether or not the type of government is important, 3) whether or not the problem of the obligation differs between conscript and volunteer armies, 4) the problem of political obligation and how any individual could be justifiably obliged to risk his or her life for the state in war, and 5) the question of whether a citizen may be obliged to go into any war. The argument is that these questions are no longer given much attention in the just war literature because of the way that the concept of proper authority has come to be understood. The article concludes by suggesting that the problem of the ‘obligation to die’ should be included in our understanding and use of just war theory and the ethics of war.

Citation

Baron, I. Z. (2010). Dying for the State: The Missing Just War Question?. Review of International Studies, 36(1), 215-234. https://doi.org/10.1017/s026021050999057x

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Jan 1, 2010
Deposit Date Feb 22, 2010
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Review of International Studies
Print ISSN 0260-2105
Electronic ISSN 1469-9044
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 36
Issue 1
Pages 215-234
DOI https://doi.org/10.1017/s026021050999057x
Keywords Just War, Legitimate Authority, Obligation to die.

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