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A Theory of TrucesTruces in the Western Tradition

A Theory of Truces: Truces in the Western Tradition [So far, we have sketched a theory of truces and defended it from charges of political cynicism. We now move to show that truce thinking has deep roots in Western thought; that it is grounded in existing if marginalized ways of thinking about war’s end; that there is, if you will, an alternative history of thinking about winding down wars in which truces figure prominently. Locating such canonical sources can confer a degree of political legitimacy on the practice (much in the same way that calling on the new testament or the cosmopolitan tradition as foundations of the idea of human rights confers legitimacy on that field). More importantly, excavating this history provides a foil against which to examine and elucidate the attributes of truce thinking we have been discussing. Finally, the investigation suggests further features that need to be added to our theory. I draw on both historical and cultural sources in this chapter, focusing on truces in Homer’s Iliad, Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, the book of Genesis, the doctrines of the Peace of God and Truce of God in medieval Christianity, and finally, on the discussion of truces in Hugo Grotius’s De Jure Belli ac Pacis.] http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png

A Theory of TrucesTruces in the Western Tradition

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Publisher
Palgrave Macmillan UK
Copyright
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2015
ISBN
978-1-349-55273-3
Pages
44 –68
DOI
10.1057/9781137385956_4
Publisher site
See Chapter on Publisher Site

Abstract

[So far, we have sketched a theory of truces and defended it from charges of political cynicism. We now move to show that truce thinking has deep roots in Western thought; that it is grounded in existing if marginalized ways of thinking about war’s end; that there is, if you will, an alternative history of thinking about winding down wars in which truces figure prominently. Locating such canonical sources can confer a degree of political legitimacy on the practice (much in the same way that calling on the new testament or the cosmopolitan tradition as foundations of the idea of human rights confers legitimacy on that field). More importantly, excavating this history provides a foil against which to examine and elucidate the attributes of truce thinking we have been discussing. Finally, the investigation suggests further features that need to be added to our theory. I draw on both historical and cultural sources in this chapter, focusing on truces in Homer’s Iliad, Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, the book of Genesis, the doctrines of the Peace of God and Truce of God in medieval Christianity, and finally, on the discussion of truces in Hugo Grotius’s De Jure Belli ac Pacis.]

Published: Dec 21, 2015

Keywords: National Character; Safe Passage; Western Tradition; Jewish Tradition; Ideological Commitment

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