Terrorism and Justice: Moral Argument in a Threatened World

The terrorist attacks on the United States on 11 September 2001 profoundly shocked the international community. Policy-makers are increasingly aware of the inadequacy of existing intellectual, moral and legal frameworks for dealing with such events. Terrorism and Justice is the first book since September 11 to address philosophically the moral and political underpinnings of terrorism and anti-terrorism. It brings together authors with different attitudes and original perspectives on the ethical and practical justifications offered for terrorism, and different conceptual frameworks for assessing and justifying responses to terrorism. Some defend the principle that non-combatants ('innocents' or civilians) should be immune from attack; others qualify it; others again argue that traditional distinctions between combatants and non-combatants do not apply in the case of terrorism. Can terrorism ever be justified? If not, what are the grounds for condemning it? Is your 'terrorist' my 'freedom fighter'? What are the morally appropriate responses to terrorism-diplomatically, militarily and ethically? These are some of the questions this timely book seeks to explore.