Moral Principles and Political Institutions: Perspectives on Ethics and International Affairs

A review essay on books by (1) Jean-Marc Coicaud & Daniel Warner (Eds), "Ethics and International Affairs: Extent and Limits" (Tokyo: United Nations U Press, 2001); & (2) Hakan Seckinelgin & Hideaki Shinoda (Eds), "Ethics and International Relations" (London: Palgrave-Millennium, 2001). Both books allow the works of important authors in the field of ethics & international affairs to be assembled. However, each book suffers from the lack of a unifying theme. The reviewed works can be understood as contributions to a continuing dialogue between analytical & critical perspectives, to research in ethics & international affairs, with a lot to say about whether ethics, morals, & principles can be successfully applied to this arena & about the potential morality of institutions. The volume by Coicaud & Warner is thematically superior to that by Seckinelgin & Shinoda, but Seckinelgin & Shinoda's work features more daring articles.