Chapter 9 Key Terms Quiz 2

Violations of the laws of war (e.g., international humanitarian law), including the murder or mistreatment of prisoners of war; wanton destruction of cities, towns, villages, or other civilian areas; the murder or mistreatment of civilians; and the forced deportation of civilian residents of an occupied territory to internment camps.

The idea that a middle ground exists between amorality and moral absolutism that acts as a guide to human actions, particularly in regard to international law.

A judicial body established by the government of Sierra Leone and the United Nations with the authority to prosecute persons bearing responsibility for violations of international humanitarian law and/or Sierra Leonean law during the civil war in Sierra Leone.

Judicial and nonjudicial processes and mechanisms associated with a society’s attempts to redress the legacies of massive human rights abuses and work toward accountability, justice, and reconciliation.

Social and cultural contexts necessitate a legal standard and set of rights and obligations that are consistent with the norms and values of the people living in those states and societies.

A system of law that is purportedly determined by nature, and thus is universal. Classically, natural law refers to the use of reason to analyze human nature—both social and personal—and to deduce binding rules of moral behavior.

Defines a treaty as “an international agreement concluded between states in written form and governed by international law,” and affirms that every state possesses the capacity and right to conclude treaties.

All United Nations member-countries must sign the optional clause, agreeing to be subject to the International Court of Justice’s compulsory jurisdiction. About two-thirds of all countries have not done so, and others that once were adherents have withdrawn their consent.

A philosophical viewpoint that contends that the ends alone cannot and should not justify the means, or that morality should be the absolute guide for human decisions and actions.

From the Latin as “justice after war”; the third and least developed component of just war theory that is intended to provide the minimal moral and legal criteria necessary to define and assess just outcomes after war.

From the Latin as “treaties are to be served/carried out”; an important international norm that treaty agreements between states should be considered to have binding legal force.

A philosophical viewpoint that contends ascertaining the morality of human actions or decisions requires careful appreciation of the context in which said actions or decisions take place.