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The Resource The lesser evil : political ethics in an age of terror, Michael Ignatieff

The lesser evil : political ethics in an age of terror, Michael Ignatieff

Creator
Author
Summary
Must We Fight Terrorism with terror, match assassination with assassination, and torture with torture? Must we sacrifice civil liberty to protect public safety? In the age of terrorism, the temptations of ruthlessness can be overwhelming. But we are pulled in the other direction, too, by the anxiety that a violent response to violence makes us morally indistinguishable from our enemies. There is perhaps no greater political challenge today than trying to win the war against terror without losing our democratic souls. Michael Ignatieff confronts this challenge head-on, with the combination of hardheaded idealism, historical sensitivity, and political judgment that has made him one of the most influential voices in international affairs today. Ignatieff argues that we must not shrink from the use of violence-that far from undermining liberal democracy, force can be necessary for its survival. But its use must be measured, not a program of torture and revenge. And we must not fool ourselves that whatever we do in the name of freedom and democracy is good. We may need to kill to fight the greater evil of terrorism, but we must never pretend that doing so is anything better than a lesser evil. In making this case, Ignatieff traces the modern history of terrorism and counterterrorism, from the nihilists of czarist Russia and the militias of Weimar Germany to the IRA and the unprecedented menace of Al Qaeda, with its suicidal agents bent on mass destruction. He shows how the most potent response to terror has been force, decisive and direct, but-just as important-restrained. The public scrutiny and political ethics that motivate restraint also give democracy its strongest weapon: the moral power to endure when the furies of vengeance and hatred are spent. The book is based on the Gifford Lectures delivered at the University of Edinburgh in 2003. "Michael Ignatieff has written a sober yet chilling account of the issues facing liberal democracies in the face of modern international terrorism. In a surgical analysis he describes the challenges facing their leaders and citizens. His warning of the critical dangers of under-and over-reaction in combating terrorism could not be more timely."--Justice Richard Goldstone, Constitutional Court of South Africa."Michael Ignatieff's The Lesser Evil is a strikingly readable rumination on the ethical challenge of our time: How can a liberal democracy survive the long struggle against terror and do so in ways that preserve its institutions and dignity intact? His answer is a profound moral analysis, drawing on insights from philosophy, law, and literature, of how to surmount the strength of the terrorists, who are weak, and avoid the weakness of the democracies, who can be both strong and just."-Michael Doyle, Harold Brown Professor of Law and International Affairs, Columbia University
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Extent
1 online resource (xii, 212 pages)
Contents
  • Democracy and the lesser evil
  • The ethics of emergency
  • The weakness of the strong
  • The strength of the weak
  • The temptations of nihilism
  • Liberty and armageddon
Isbn
9780748671892
Instance
Label
The lesser evil : political ethics in an age of terror
Title
The lesser evil
Title remainder
political ethics in an age of terror
Statement of responsibility
Michael Ignatieff
Creator
Author
Subject
Genre
Language
eng
Summary
Must We Fight Terrorism with terror, match assassination with assassination, and torture with torture? Must we sacrifice civil liberty to protect public safety? In the age of terrorism, the temptations of ruthlessness can be overwhelming. But we are pulled in the other direction, too, by the anxiety that a violent response to violence makes us morally indistinguishable from our enemies. There is perhaps no greater political challenge today than trying to win the war against terror without losing our democratic souls. Michael Ignatieff confronts this challenge head-on, with the combination of hardheaded idealism, historical sensitivity, and political judgment that has made him one of the most influential voices in international affairs today. Ignatieff argues that we must not shrink from the use of violence-that far from undermining liberal democracy, force can be necessary for its survival. But its use must be measured, not a program of torture and revenge. And we must not fool ourselves that whatever we do in the name of freedom and democracy is good. We may need to kill to fight the greater evil of terrorism, but we must never pretend that doing so is anything better than a lesser evil. In making this case, Ignatieff traces the modern history of terrorism and counterterrorism, from the nihilists of czarist Russia and the militias of Weimar Germany to the IRA and the unprecedented menace of Al Qaeda, with its suicidal agents bent on mass destruction. He shows how the most potent response to terror has been force, decisive and direct, but-just as important-restrained. The public scrutiny and political ethics that motivate restraint also give democracy its strongest weapon: the moral power to endure when the furies of vengeance and hatred are spent. The book is based on the Gifford Lectures delivered at the University of Edinburgh in 2003. "Michael Ignatieff has written a sober yet chilling account of the issues facing liberal democracies in the face of modern international terrorism. In a surgical analysis he describes the challenges facing their leaders and citizens. His warning of the critical dangers of under-and over-reaction in combating terrorism could not be more timely."--Justice Richard Goldstone, Constitutional Court of South Africa."Michael Ignatieff's The Lesser Evil is a strikingly readable rumination on the ethical challenge of our time: How can a liberal democracy survive the long struggle against terror and do so in ways that preserve its institutions and dignity intact? His answer is a profound moral analysis, drawing on insights from philosophy, law, and literature, of how to surmount the strength of the terrorists, who are weak, and avoid the weakness of the democracies, who can be both strong and just."-Michael Doyle, Harold Brown Professor of Law and International Affairs, Columbia University
Member of
Cataloging source
OCLCE
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Ignatieff, Michael
Index
index present
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
  • dictionaries
  • bibliography
Series statement
The Gifford lectures
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Political ethics
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorism
  • International relations
  • PHILOSOPHY
  • International relations
  • Political ethics
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorism
Label
The lesser evil : political ethics in an age of terror, Michael Ignatieff
Instantiates
Publication
Copyright
Antecedent source
file reproduced from original
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references and index
Carrier category
online resource
Carrier category code
  • cr
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Color
black and white
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Democracy and the lesser evil -- The ethics of emergency -- The weakness of the strong -- The strength of the weak -- The temptations of nihilism -- Liberty and armageddon
Control code
ocn872654361
Dimensions
unknown
Extent
1 online resource (xii, 212 pages)
Form of item
online
Isbn
9780748671892
Level of compression
  • lossless
  • lossy
Media category
computer
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • c
Note
JSTOR
http://library.link/vocab/ext/overdrive/overdriveId
22573/cttk0n6b
Reformatting quality
  • preservation
  • access
Specific material designation
remote
System control number
(OCoLC)872654361
Label
The lesser evil : political ethics in an age of terror, Michael Ignatieff
Publication
Copyright
Antecedent source
file reproduced from original
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references and index
Carrier category
online resource
Carrier category code
  • cr
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Color
black and white
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Democracy and the lesser evil -- The ethics of emergency -- The weakness of the strong -- The strength of the weak -- The temptations of nihilism -- Liberty and armageddon
Control code
ocn872654361
Dimensions
unknown
Extent
1 online resource (xii, 212 pages)
Form of item
online
Isbn
9780748671892
Level of compression
  • lossless
  • lossy
Media category
computer
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • c
Note
JSTOR
http://library.link/vocab/ext/overdrive/overdriveId
22573/cttk0n6b
Reformatting quality
  • preservation
  • access
Specific material designation
remote
System control number
(OCoLC)872654361

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