Centre for Ethical Foreign Affairs
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War and conflict

Almost half of the 1.1 billion people in extreme poverty live in places suffering from conflict. And once war has started, violence can become endemic; almost half of all peace agreements fail within five years. But war can sometimes be a lesser evil, too: military interventions can stop genocides and free people from brutality. When is it right for a country to go to war? What, if anything, can justify politically-motivated violence? And what should people do when confronted by war?

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

Themes & programmes