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Richard M. Price asks why, among all the ominous technologies of
weaponry throughout the history of warfare, chemical weapons carry
a special moral stigma. Something more seems to be at work than the
predictable resistance people have expressed to any new weaponry,
from the crossbow to nuclear bombs. Perceptions of chemical warfare
as particularly abhorrent have been successfully institutionalized
in international proscriptions and, Price suggests, understanding
the sources of this success might shed light on other efforts at
arms control.To explore the origins and meaning of the chemical
weapons taboo, Price presents a series of case studies from World
War I through the Gulf War of 1990 1991. He traces the moral
arguments against gas warfare from the Hague Conferences at the
turn of the century through negotiations for the Chemical Weapons
Convention of 1993. From the Italian invasion of Ethiopia to the
war between Iran and Iraq, chemical weapons have been condemned as
the "poor man's bomb." Drawing upon insights from Michel Foucault
to explain the role of moral norms in an international arena rarely
sensitive to such pressures, he focuses on the construction of and
mutations in the refusal to condone chemical weapons."
To explore the origins and meaning of the chemical weapons taboo,
Richard Price presents a series of case studies from World War I
through the Gulf War of 1990-91. He traces the moral arguments
against gas warfare from the Hague Conferences at the turn of the
century through negotiations for the Chemical Weapons Convention of
1993. From the Italian invasion of Ethiopia to the war between Iran
and Iraq, chemical weapons have been condemned as the 'poor man's
bomb.' Drawing upon insights from Michel Foucault to explain the
role of moral norms in an international arena rarely sensitive to
such pressures, he focuses on the construction of and mutations in
the refusal to condone chemical weapons.
At what point can we concede that the realities of world politics
require that moral principles be compromised, and how do we know
when a real ethical limit has been reached? This volume gathers
leading constructivist scholars to explore the issue of moral limit
and possibility in global political dilemmas. The contributors
examine pressing ethical challenges such as sanctions, humanitarian
intervention, torture, the self-determination of indigenous
peoples, immigration, and the debate about international criminal
tribunals and amnesties in cases of atrocity. Their analyses entail
theoretical and empirical claims about the conditions of
possibility and limits of moral change in world politics, therefore
providing insightful leverage on the ethical question of 'what
ought we to do?' This is a valuable contribution to the growing
field of normative theory in International Relations and will
appeal to scholars and advanced students of international ethics
and political theory.
At what point can we concede that the realities of world politics
require that moral principles be compromised, and how do we know
when a real ethical limit has been reached? This volume gathers
leading constructivist scholars to explore the issue of moral limit
and possibility in global political dilemmas. The contributors
examine pressing ethical challenges such as sanctions, humanitarian
intervention, torture, the self-determination of indigenous
peoples, immigration, and the debate about international criminal
tribunals and amnesties in cases of atrocity. Their analyses entail
theoretical and empirical claims about the conditions of
possibility and limits of moral change in world politics, therefore
providing insightful leverage on the ethical question of 'what
ought we to do?' This is a valuable contribution to the growing
field of normative theory in International Relations and will
appeal to scholars and advanced students of international ethics
and political theory.
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