The Ethical Dimensions of Civil War

The International Society for Military Ethics is pleased to announce the theme for this year’s annual conference: “The Ethical Dimensions of Civil War.’’  

Keynote Address: “A Moral Analysis of the US Civil War,” Kit Wellman, Washington University.

The conference will take place Sunday to Wednesday, October 12-15 at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. 

150 years ago, the United States was engaged in a “great civil war.”  In observance of that fact, and in the light of numerous more recent events, ISME is pleased to accept papers on all aspects of the ethics of civil war for this year’s conference.  Papers from both historical and contemporary perspectives and dealing with both historical and contemporary issues will be considered. 

Questions to consider might include:

-          Under what conditions, and using what means, may one political entity morally separate itself from another?

-          Under what conditions, and using what means, may one political entity resist such a separation?

-          Under what conditions, and using what means, may a third political entity intervene in such a conflict?

-          What legal/moral regime ought to apply to individuals who might simultaneously be considered enemy combatants and fellow citizens?

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