Organisation profile

Organisation profile

The main objective of this research unit is to develop an expertise regarding the ethical aspects of the military practice and profession. The members of the research unit have a special interest in the Just War Theory. This is a normative ethical theory with a history of more than two millennia that offers moral guidance regarding the use of military force. Basically, moral reflection revolves around three questions:

  • When is it morally permissible to resort to military force? (jus ad bellum),
  • How should military actions be conducted? (jus in bello), and
  • How should we deal with the end and the aftermath of war? (jus post bellum).

A specific challenge in this regard is to explore to what extent this age-old theory can still provide us with an adequate moral framework for judging new technological, political, and military evolutions (e.g. drone warfare, autonomous weapons systems, Private Military Companies, targeted killing).

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