The Miracle of Generative Violence? René Girard and the Use of Force in International Law

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregor Noll
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Use Of Force ◽  
Rene Girard ◽  
René Girard

The Miracle of Generative Violence? René Girard and the Use of Force in International Law

2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 563-580 ◽  
Author(s):  
GREGOR NOLL
Keyword(s):  
National Security ◽  
International Law ◽  
Use Of Force ◽  
International Community ◽  
Security Strategy ◽  
Rene Girard ◽  
National Security Strategy ◽  
Divine Violence ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractIn this article, I apply René Girard's theory of generative violence to the international law relating to the use of force. I argue that texts of international law make gestures of referral towards an immanent normativity on the fettering of divine violence. The means to this end is a form of sacrificial violence that seeks to promote the preservation and cohesion of the ‘international community’. The structuring of this violence through international law and its repeated staging reproduces the relationship of prophecy to miracle. Empirically, I draw mainly on excerpts from the 2006 US National Security Strategy.

L'identité du social et du religieux selon René Girard

1980 ◽  
Vol 78 (37) ◽  
pp. 71-90
Author(s):  
Claude Troisfontaines
Keyword(s):  
Rene Girard ◽  
René Girard

Polarized Readings of René Girard: Utilizing Girardian Thought to Break a Theological and Philosophical Impasse

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-42
Author(s):  
Colby Dickinson
Keyword(s):  
Religious Values ◽  
Rene Girard ◽  
René Girard

René Girard’s work often seems suspect to liberals, because it appears as a totalizing narrative. Such hesitancy with respect to either dismissing or endorsing it follows from the demise of “grand narratives” that brought with them imperialistic and hegemonic tendencies. Yet if a liberal viewpoint does not embrace Girard, it is for different reasons that conservatives are either fully supportive of his thought as promising a return to religious values or hesitant about accepting his theories because they critique a form of violence inherent to any community. Girardian thought, it can be argued, has focused on deconstructing mythological justifications for violent activity at the expense of establishing a fruitful position regarding positive communal formations. The tensions between these juxtaposed liberal and conservative viewpoints, as taken up in this article, illustrate an impasse between deconstructivist-genealogists (representing trends within liberal discourse) and communitarians (representing conservative or orthodox viewpoints)—one that shows up in a variety of contexts today. Highlighting this particular standoff in interpretations of Girard can, nevertheless, yield important insights regarding the ultimate significance of his work.

Common Interests of Humankind and the International Regulation of the Use of Force

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enzo Cannizzaro
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Use Of Force ◽  
State Responsibility ◽  
International Regulation ◽  
Philosophical Foundations ◽  
Un Security Council ◽  
Common Interests ◽  
The Law ◽  
Mere Existence ◽  
Further Development

The chapter discusses the philosophical foundations of the current regulation of the use of force. The chapter argues that, in correspondence with the emergence of a sphere of substantive rules protecting common interests of humankind, international law is also gradually developing a system of protection against egregious breaches of these interests. This conclusion is reached through an analysis of the law and practice governing the action of the UN Security Council as well as the law of state responsibility concerning individual and collective reactions to serious breaches of common interests. This system is based on positive obligations imposed upon individual states as well as UN organs, and it appears to be still rudimentary and inefficient. However, the chapter suggests that the mere existence of this system, these shortcomings notwithstanding, has the effect of promoting the further development of the law in search for more appropriate mechanisms of protection.

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