25
March
2015
|
09:00
Europe/London

Justification for arming rebels in Ukraine and Syria under the spotlight

An expert on the ethics of war from The University of Manchester is leading a debate on the ethical issues surrounding the arming of rebels in territories like the Ukraine and Syria (25 March).

Professor James Pattison from the School of Social Sciences will discuss whether it is ever morally acceptable to arm rebel fighters even when the rebels are engaged in ‘unjust’ wars.

And he will also question whether it is ever acceptable for states to supply arms to others states during civil wars – this issue is currently being mooted in relation to the current situation in Ukraine.

Professor Pattison said: “Despite its frequency and political importance there has been very little engagement with the ethical issues surrounding the arming of rebels. My new research aims to bridge this gap.

“My study hopes to untangle this knotty issue and address quite controversial moral themes such as the rights and wrongs of arming rebel fighters who might not be fighting a ‘just war’ whilst acknowledging that arming rebels is prohibited according to international law. A recent example is the Arab Spring when various states supplied arms to the rebel movements in Libya and Syria.

“The key point is that we should be very sceptical about the case for arming rebels and states. Despite the appearance of being able to help, it often makes things much worse”, said Professor Pattison.

The gathering is the first of two debates on the ethics of war with the second (27 March) focussing on the alternatives to war (or ‘soft war’), including economic sanctions, diplomacy, nonviolent resistance, cyber war, propaganda and ‘lawfare’.

This workshop brings together some leading just war theorists and political philosophers to consider both specific alternatives and the alternatives as a whole.

Notes for editors

Professor James Pattison is available for interview via the Media Relations Office.

He has written widely on humanitarian intervention, the responsibility to protect, and the ethics of war. His new paper which considers the relation between these two arguments and its application for ‘Just War Theory’ is part of a book he is currently writing.

Media enquiries to:

Kath Paddison
Media Relations Officer
The University of Manchester
Tel: 0161 275 0790
Mob: 07990 550050
Email: kath.paddison@manchester.ac.uk