At all costs and in spite of all terror? The victory of just war

O'Driscoll, C. (2015) At all costs and in spite of all terror? The victory of just war. Review of International Studies, 41(4), pp. 799-811. (doi: 10.1017/S0260210515000042)

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Abstract

Derived from the Latin Victoria, which itself can be traced to vino victus, meaning ‘to conquer’, victory evokes a number of close synonyms, principally conquest and triumph. It occupies an ambivalent position in respect of contemporary war. Though in some regards a concept that is essential to the very idea of combat, the notion of winning wars has acquired an ironic ring in the aftermath of two brutal world wars and the advent of nuclear weapons. Victory in war is clearly a contentious subject. Yet scholars of the just war tradition have largely ignored it. This article fills that breach by asking what, if anything, victory can mean in relation to just war? It argues that victory has an aporetic quality insofar as it appears both integral to but incompatible with the just war ethos. As such, it reveals both the limits and possibilities of just war thinking.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:O'Driscoll, Professor Cian
Authors: O'Driscoll, C.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Politics
Journal Name:Review of International Studies
ISSN:0260-2105
ISSN (Online):1469-9044
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2015 Cambridge University Press
First Published:First published in Review of International Studies 41(4):799-811
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher.

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Project CodeAward NoProject NamePrincipal InvestigatorFunder's NameFunder RefLead Dept
654441Moral Victories - Ethics, Exit Strategies and the Ending of WarsCian O'DriscollEconomic & Social Research Council (ESRC)ES/L013363/1SPS - POLITICS
704171ESRC-IAA: Moral Victories: Ethics, Exit-startegies and the ending of warsCian O'DriscollEconomic & Social Research Council (ESRC)ES/M500471/1SPS - POLITICS