Talking about Just War: Obama in Oslo, Bush at War
| Author | Cian O'Driscoll |
| Published date | 01 June 2011 |
| Date | 01 June 2011 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9256.2011.01406.x |
| Subject Matter | Research and Analysis |
Research and Analysis
Talking about Just War: Obama in Oslo,
Bush at Warponl_140682..90
Cian O’Driscoll
University of Glasgow
Boasting origins in the Roman Empire, the just war tradition furnishes us with a set of principles
for addressing the moral-legal questions that war raises. Recently, the just war was the subject of
controversy following President Obama’s very public ruminations on the subject in the course of his
2010 Nobel Peace Prize address. Many popular commentators seemed to assume that Obama’s
‘turn’ towards the just war marked something new. This article inquires, first, whether this turn is
really as novel as these commentators suppose and, second, whether the prominence of just war
ideas in Obama’s discourse is evidence of a civilising trend at work or just another case of empty
moral talk in international affairs.
Introduction
President Barack Obama was inaugurated into office as the 44th president of the
United States on 20 January 2009. Just a few months later, on 8 October, he was
named as the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. This set the stage for Obama to
deliver one of his more noteworthy speeches, the celebrated but controversial
Nobel Peace Prize address of 10 December 2009. Standing before the assembled
dignitaries in Oslo City Hall, Obama spoke at length about the requirements of ‘just
war’ as he attempted to reconcile the honour about to be bestowed upon him with
his role as commander-in-chief of a nation mired in not one but two wars. Some
popular commentators were impressed by what they perceived as Obama’s
thoughtful commitment to the tradition of bellum justum, while others expressed
grave misgivings that any defence of war, no matter how reasoned, was inappro-
priate for the occasion. All, however, seemed to assume that Obama’s turn towards
using just war discourse marked something novel (or at least a revival of something
that had not been salient for some time). This article inquires as to whether this
turn is really as novel as these commentators suppose. It also asks whether the
prominence of just war ideas in Obama’s official discourse pertaining to the ‘war on
terror’ reflects a meaningful development or just a case of more hot air.
With this remit in mind, this article will proceed in three sections. The next section
will lay the foundation for the discussion that follows. It provides a brief introduc-
tion to the just war tradition, and elaborates an understanding of just war as a moral
discourse. The following section treats the manner by which Obama invoked just
war ideas over the course of the ‘war on terror’, particularly in the context of his
POLITICS: 2011 VOL 31(2), 82–90
© 2011 The Author.Politics © 2011 Political Studies Association
To continue reading
Request your trial