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War and conflict

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How war has changed

War is back — but it doesn’t look like it used to. Why conflicts are more fragmented, more civilian-targeting, and harder to end than at any point since 1945.
  • 4 minute read

Impersonal warfare: The ethics of drones

Drones now cause most deaths in the Russia-Ukraine war. They’re meant to save lives and reduce collateral damage — so why is civilian harm actually rising?
  • 3 minute read

Can Just War Theory apply to modern conflicts?

St Augustine’s 1,600-year-old rules for a “Just War” still shape how we judge Ukraine, Kosovo, and modern conflict — but do his six conditions hold up, or need rethinking?
  • 5 minute read

The ethics of modern deterrence

What happens when defending democratic values requires breaking the very rules meant to uphold them? How far can — and should — deterrence go before it stops being ethical?
  • 9 minute read

International development

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How much aid should we give?

As the US and UK abandon the 0.7% aid target, is it time to rethink how much rich nations owe the world’s poorest — and how that money should actually be spent?
  • 3 minute read

An ethical approach to international development

Global aid budgets have collapsed by $50 billion, and millions will die as a result. What does “ethical” development actually require — and are voters being told the truth about the cost of cutting it?
  • 6 minute read

Fairness, not just funding: What the secure livelihoods research consortium discovered about aid

Millions in aid, yet trust in government barely moves. New research across eight fragile states reveals what really builds legitimacy — and it isn’t more roads or clinics, but fairness.
  • 2 minute read

Diplomacy and foreign affairs

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“If we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu”: Is Carney’s view of a changing world order sustainable?

At Davos, Mark Carney urged middle powers to stop “living within a lie” and unite beyond US-China hegemony. Is his vision of value-based realism actually workable — or wishful thinking?
  • 7 minute read

Is it always wrong to negotiate with terrorists?

“We do not negotiate with terrorists” sounds principled — but does it actually save lives? Why talking and negotiating aren’t the same thing, and when engaging with violence might end it faster.
  • 4 minute read

Should Indiana Jones eat the monkey brain?

Indiana Jones’ dinner dilemma in the Temple of Doom reveals deeper truths about diplomacy, cultural relativism, and when ends really do justify the means.
  • 12 minute read

Doing the right thing can make us safer, stronger and richer

Ditching foreign aid, alienating allies, slashing soft power — is “America First” actually making the US weaker? Why ethics in foreign policy isn’t just altruism, but a strategic asset worth billions.
  • 5 minute read

People and society

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The limits of loyalty

Southampton FC got caught spying on rivals — so why do fans stay loyal anyway? A look at what it really takes to make us abandon our team, our country, or our tribe.
  • 4 minute read

Empathy: a good guide or a fatal attraction?

Is empathy making us weaker, or is that argument itself just another evolved bias in disguise? A critical look at “Suicidal Empathy” and why caring for others may still be worth dying for.
  • 4 minute read

Ethics of disinformation

When, if ever, is disinformation ethical?
  • 5 minute read