Nir Eisikovits
Suffolk University (Boston, MA 02108-2770)
FT-56709-09
Summer Stipends
Research Programs
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Totals:
$6,000 (approved)
$6,000 (awarded)
Grant period:
7/1/2009 – 8/31/2009
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Truce: A Neglected Alternative between War and Peace
We have not thought enough about truces. By and large, Western political thought is committed to a false dichotomy between war and peace. Since truces are neither, we don't pay them serious conceptual attention. That's too bad for three reasons: (1) There are cases where the empirical track record of truces compares favorably with that of peace processes. (2) The desire for perpetual peace--the ambition to fight the war that would end all wars--has made wars longer and more brutal than necessary. (3) Political Islam has a nuanced theology and jurisprudence of truces. Truces save lives. Might we be missing chances for de-escalation by not having a well-developed understanding of truces?
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