Blog – Views on War in Ukraine
This blog is dedicated to bite-size pieces covering different topics related to the ongoing war in Ukraine. It will be updated with further articles over time and try to offer a more comprehensive picture of the conflict.
Everybody is invited to participate in the forum discussion.
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- Blog: Views on War in Ukraine
Jus Post Bellum – Ending War and Ending Wars Well
By David Whetham, KCL, EuroISME Board Member
At the start of the current conflict, I wrote a short piece on the crime of aggression and the ethics of starting wars, drawing on the work of Michael Walzer. Amongst the many editorials in the press today commemorating the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 (and remembering that this followed the earlier annexation of Ukrainian territory), I thought it might be useful to return to Walzer and his thoughts on how wars end. The ethics of ending conflict goes under the Latin title jus post bellum, and the whole topic touched on below is explored in more depth by Cian O’Driscoll, Andrew Hom, Kurt Mills and Phillips O’Brien in a free online course at the Centre for Military Ethics.
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Ukraine - One Year On
By John Thomas, President, Euro-ISME
Today is the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. What follows are some personal thoughts to mark this sad anniversary.
As a result of Russia’s ‘special military operation’, tens of thousands of military personnel on both sides have been killed or wounded, and millions of Ukrainian civilians have been killed, injured or displaced, whether internally or to other countries in Europe.
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Ethics and Armed Forces Issue 2022/2
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Human dignity is inviolable - Die Würde des Menschen ist unantastbar
By Bishop Dr Franz-Josef Overbeck, Catholic Military Bishop for the Federal Armed Forces
Bishop Overbeck's perspective on the war against Ukraine
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Orthodox churches in the war in Ukraine
By Kathy Rousselet, researcher at the CERI, Sciences Po. / translated by Katharine Throssell
More than two months ago, Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine. On February 21, he recognised the independence of the two separatist Donetsk and Luhansk “people’s republics”. On February 24, he ordered Russian troops to enter Ukraine to “maintain peace”, yet the war has already claimed thousands of lives. The Russian army is bombing the birthplace of Rus’ Christianity, the origin of today's Ukraine and Russia. It was in the Rus’, that the Grand Prince of Kiev, Vladimir, was baptised in 988.
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Human rights don't know national flags
By Prof. Dr. Ulrike Kostka
Human rights do not recognise national ensigns. Regimes like Putin's machinery of power can only be opposed if humanity and democracy apply to everyone. Especially in this time when democratic states should stand together and use democracy and humanity as the best defense - of course with all clarity and the necessary measures against dictators who trample on human rights.
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Krieg und Zeitenwende – War and Dawn of a New Era
By Dr. Sebastian von Münchow, Course Director, George C. Marshall Center
The list of requirements was tough: Russia claimed against NATO, among other things, not to affiliate any further Eastern European states. This was rejected by the West. On February 24, 2022, Russian forces attacked Ukraine from multiple directions. What does the Kremlin want to achieve? What is at stake for the West? How does Germany react?
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War of Aggression – A New Reality?
By Prof. Dr. Thomas R. Elßner, Vice President, EuroISME
How should a Christian deal with war and unjustness? Everyone has the inherent right of self-defense. But violence is a means of last resort.
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