Suchergebnisse

Considers the pros & cons of privatized peacekeeping. The development of the privatized military industry is traced & its business sectors described & three potential scenarios for privatized peacekeeping are presented. Dilemmas of such peacekeeping are identified in terms of contracts, adverse selection & accountability, local-level implications, & implementation details. Adapted from the source document.

THERE IS NOW INCREASING EVIDENCE FOR SIGNIFICANT "MORAL UNIVERSALS"--THAT IS, PATTERNS OF ETHICAL PRINCIPLES THAT ARE RECOGNIZED BY VIRTUALLY EVERY HUMAN SOCIETY. JAMES Q. WILSON HAS ASSEMBLED AN ENGAGING COLLECTION OF THIS EVIDENCE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF A "MORAL SENSE." THE AUTHOR OF THIS ARTICLE BELIEVES THAT AT LEAST IN REGARD TO THE UNIVERSALITY OF THE KEY FEATURES OF SYMPATHY AND A SENSE OF FAIRNESS OR RECIPROCITY, WILSON'S IDEAS ARE CORRECT. THE AUTHOR GOES ON TO SAY THAT THESE FEATURES ARE EVEN MORE UNIVERSAL THAN WILSON REALIZES: THEY EXTEND TO OUR CLOSEST NONHUMAN RELATIVES AS WELL. THE AUTHOR ALSO ATTESTS THAT THE EXISTENCE OF A "MORAL SENSE" REMAINS VAGUE, PARTICULARLY WHEN WHAT WILSON CALLS "THE UNIVERSAL ASPIRATION" IS CONSIDERED.

THE AUTHOR RECOUNTS THE ACTIVISM AND IDEOLOGY BEHIND THE STUDENT RIOTS AND WORKER UPRISINGS IN FRANCE IN MAY 1968. HE CONCLUDES THAT THE SPIRIT OF MAY IS CLEARLY NOT MORE ALIVE BUT UNDOUBTEDLY MORE RELEVANT THAN IT WAS AT THE TIME. THE QUESTIONS RAISED IN 1968--OVER THE MEANING OF GROWTH, THE PURPOSES OF THE SOCIAL DIVISION OF LABOR, THE MENACING SIZE OF THE RULING LEVIATHAN AND ITS REAL FUNCTION--COULD BE AND WERE DISMISSED AS RATHER UTOPIAN OR NOT VERY URGENT AT A TIME WHEN THE ECONOMY WAS APPARENTLY FORGING AHEAD, INCOMES WERE RISING AND THE WELFARE STATE WAS ENSURING UNPRECEDENTED SECURITY. TODAY IN A EUROPE WITH MILLIONS OF JOBLESS, WHERE INVENTIVE ABILITY LEADS TO LONGER LINES OF UNEMPLOYED, WHERE THE WELFARE FUNCTIONS OF THE STATE AND SOCIAL SECURITY IN GENERAL ARE BEING THREATENED, THESE ARE NO LONGER ABSTRACT OR DISTANT QUESTIONS, BUT ISSUES WHICH THE LEFT MUST COHERENTLY ADDRESS.

A review of many recent books on sociobiology, with the aim of ascertaining the relevance of sociobiology to ethical issues. Edward O. Wilson's claims to the effect that sociobiology offers the basis for a new scientific ethic (On Human Nature, Cambridge, Mass: Harvard U Press, 1978) are examined & rejected. On the other hand, it is suggested that sociobiology may have some role to play in debunking widely held ethical views that can now be shown to be biological relics. It is argued that ethics has a rational core that is independent of the human evolutionary heritage. The implications of sociobiology for feminism are examined. Modified AA.

The book offers an overview of experiences, theories and conceptions of time in the Graeco-Roman world. It presents the results of new research on neglected medical texts, relating to time management, aging and times of life, and the importance of the accurate time assessment. At the same time it draws together the most important findings of much recent classical scholarship on ancient attitudes to time, and presents them in accessible form.

The rise. An era of corporate warriors? ; Privatized military history ; The privatized military industry distinguished ; Why security has been privatized. -- Organization and operation. The global industry of military services ; The privatized military industry classified ; The military provider firm: executive outcomes ; The military consultant firm: MPRI ; The military support firm: Brown & Root. -- Implications. Contractual dilemmas ; Market dynamism and global disruptions ; Private firms and the civil-military balance ; Public ends, private military means? ; Morality and the privatized military firm. -- Conclusions. -- Postcript. The lessons of Iraq ; Appendix 1. PMF's on the Web ; Appendix 2. PMF contract

We are just at the very beginning of the revolution in warfare brought about by robotics. Automatic arms are easier to use, are more autonomous and the range of their applications is widening. But these instruments raise many questions: they can be turned against the original user, and they create problems with doctrine and strategy. They also give rise to legal issues and cause us to question the relationship between government and electorate with regards to the act of war. (Politique étrangère (Paris) / SWP)