Publications 2022

“The United States does not recognize the International Criminal Court as having jurisdiction over it; Russia is waging a war of aggression against Ukraine in defiance of all norms of international law; and the People’s Republic of China is threatening to reunify Taiwan against the express wishes of its people—actions that can be explained by the logic of power. According to this logic, what prevails is the ability to impose one’s will despite resistance: power. Those who depend on it must adapt to that power or flee. In contrast is the logic of mutual obligation, which can also be understood as the logic of equal rights and the logic of reason. According to this logic, people are bound to one another by their shared humanity, countries by their economic, social, political, and cultural ties, and states by common challenges. They therefore respect one another as fundamentally equal and free—a foundation for commonly accepted norms and procedures. Under the protection of the rule of law, conflicts can be resolved peacefully and common challenges discussed objectively.”

"The U.S. does not acknowledge the International Criminal Court as binding on itself; Russia is waging a war of aggression against Ukraine against all norms of international law, and the People's Republic of China is threatening to reunify Taiwan even against the declared will of the people living there - behaviors that can be explained according to the logic of power. According to this logic, only the ability to assert one's own will even in the face of resistance prevails: Power. Dependent people have to adapt to this power or to flee. This is contrasted with the logic of mutual binding, which can also be understood as the logic of equal rights and the logic of subject matter. According to this logic, people are mutually bound by their humanity, countries by their economic, social, political and cultural interconnectedness, and states by common challenges. Consequently, they respect each other as principally equal and free - the basis of commonly accepted norms and procedures. In the protection of this rule of law, conflicts can be managed peacefully and common challenges can be discussed objectively."