Law_of_peoples

The Law of Peoples is American Philosopher John Rawls\'s work on international relations. First published in 1993 as a short article, in 1999, was expanded and joined with another essay "The Idea of Public Reason Revisited" to form a full length book. The Law of Peoples examines the state of nature between \'peoples\'. Rawls applies a modified version of his original position thought experiment to international relations. Rawls says that \'peoples\', not states, form the basic unit that should be examined. Groups of people forming states should be encouraged to follow the principles from Rawls\'s earlier A Theory of Justice. Democracy seems like it would be the most logical means for accomplishing these goals, but benign non-democracies, what he calls consultation hierarchies, should also be seen as acceptable at the international stage. Rawls develops eight principles for how people should act on an international stage:

1. "Peoples (as organized by their government) are free and independent, and their freedom and independence is to be respected by other peoples."
2. "Peoples are equal and parties to their own agreements."
3. "Peoples have the right of self-defense but no right to war."
4. "Peoples are to observe a duty of non-intervention."
5. "Peoples are to observe treaties and undertakings."
6. "Peoples are to observe certain specified restrictions on the conduct of war (assumed to be in self-defense)."
7. "Peoples are to honor human rights."^[1]
8. "Peoples have a duty to assist other peoples living under unfavorable conditions that prevent their having a just or decent political and social regime."^[2]

Notes

1. ^ John Rawls, "The Law of Peoples," Critical Inquiry, Vol. 20, No. 1. (Autumn, 1993), pp. 36-68.
2. ^ http://www.english.iup.edu/mhayward/Recent/Rawls.htm

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