The Least of All Possible Evils: A Short History of Humanitarian Violence

Eyal Weizman

ISBN 10: 178663273X / ISBN 13: 9781786632739

Published by Verso Books, 2017

About this Item

The principle of the 'lesser evil'-the acceptability of pursuing one exceptional course of action in order to prevent a greater injustice-has long been a cornerstone of Western ethical philosophy. From its roots in classical ethics and Christian theology, to Hannah Arendt's exploration of the work of the Jewish Councils during the Nazi regime, Weizman explores its development in three key transformations of the problem: the defining intervention of Medecins Sans Frontieres in mid-1980s Ethiopia; the separation wall in Israel-Palestine; and international and human rights law in Bosnia, Gaza and Iraq.Drawing on a wealth of new research, Weizman charts the latest manifestation of this age-old idea. In doing so he shows how military and political intervention acquired a new 'humanitarian' acceptability and legality in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

Seller Inventory # 0103283

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Least of All Possible Evils: A Short History of Humanitarian Violence
• Publisher: Verso Books
• Publication Date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 178663273X
• ISBN 13: 9781786632739
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Groundbreaking exploration of the philosophy underpinning Western humanitarian intervention

The notion of a humanitarian “lesser evil” has become instrumental in justifying the West’s military adventures. It informs obscene calculations determining how much collateral damage is permissible in conflict. It determines the minimum requirements of survival imposed upon an occupied territory.

As Eyal Weizman shows in this brilliant exploration of forensic architecture, this can be seen in particular in the regime imposed upon Gaza by the state of Israel. Examining the damage following the 2010 bombardment, he pieces together the systematic process of destruction, revealing the political atrocity within the debris. The way he gathers together the evidence forces us to rethink our understanding of justice and human rights in the modern world.

About the Author

Eyal Weizman is Professor of Spatial and Visual Cultures at Goldsmiths, University of London, where he directs the Centre for Research Architecture and the European Research Council funded project Forensic Architecture. He is also a founder member of the collective Decolonizing Architecture Art Residency (DAAR) in Bethlehem, Palestine. He is the author of Hollow Land, The Least of All Possible Evils, and co-editor of A Civilian Occupation. He lives in London.