NCJ Number
228639
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 49 Issue: 5 Dated: September 2009 Pages: 702-717
Date Published
September 2009
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article looks at aspects of the war on terror from the perspective of a concern to defend the ideal of justice.
Abstract
Terrorism confronts us with a terrorist who seems to kill with no regard for the innocence of victims. The intent of terror is to spread the kind of insecurity and uncertainty that leads to irrational and repressive measures. The reaction to terrorism, the war on terror, appears to be driven by hatred and vengeance rather than a concern for justice. However, justice in a time of terror calls for dialogue and depends on understanding the needs, the motives, and aspirations of the other. Justice has a legal-political aspect, and an ethical aspect, requiring the keeping of the rules of international law, respecting legal and political conventions nationally and internationally, but it also demands respect for the other justice because he/she is a human. Yet, justice is never secure as long as the human tendency to define others as enemies undeserving of rights and protections persists. This article reflects on some of the departures from established understandings and procedures of justice, and seeks to defend the ideal of justice. The discussion is built around four overlapping and connected themes: justice and legality; the lesser evil; the threat to liberal values; and justice and the other. References