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The Communitarian Update
Number 62
October 15, 2004
Tell us what you think!
Recently, countries such as France and Sweden have passed tougher
anti-prostitution laws. This represents a clear shift in thinking from the 1990s,
when many governments liberalized laws governing the sex trade in an effort to
make it more manageable. Does prostitution represent a threat to the common good
and to the values of a healthy society? Or, should individuals be permitted to
do as they please in the privacy of their own homes or places of business? What
role should the government or community play in all of this? For one take on the
debate, see "Reforming Prostitution Laws" The Economist, September 2, 2004.
Please respond briefly and tell us how to identify you. We do not run anonymous responses
because we hold that true identities make for better dialogues. Please also provide some details
about yourself; if not your affiliation, at least your town and nation, to help us understand your
perspective.
News of Interest:
A Major Communitarian Moment
The Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, who serves as the President of
the EU, recently invited public leaders and academics to a dialogue about moral
values. The dialogue turned into an important communitarian event, arguably the
most pivotal since Tony Blair used communitarian concepts to win elections in a
landslide.
The dialogue took place in the Hague on September 7. (It was organized by Rob
Riemen, the Director of the Nexus Institute.) The first to speak was Val ry
Giscard d'Estaing, the former president of France. Giscard played a major role
in formulating the constitution of the EU, which may be crucial for making the
European Union more of a community. Giscard described the difficulties of
wording the constitution in ways that would not offend either those who are
secular or religious.
Amitai Etzioni next discussed communitarian thinking, which he characterized as
seeking to craft a careful balance between liberty and social order--a social
order based as much as possible on moral suasion. He also presented the
communitarian position on diversity within unity. The third speaker was the President of Latvia, Vaira Vike-Freiberga, who spoke with great conviction about the importance of liberty and individual rights but also about the "burden of choice."
Each of the speakers was followed by a panel discussion. The panelists included
the Prime Minister of Norway, Kjell Magne Bondevik, who provided a communitarian
delivery; Mehmet Aydin, the Turkish Minister of State, who stressed that Turks were
already European; Joe Weiler from the NYU Law School, who showed that values
are implicit in practically all public policy presentations; and Kalypso
Nicolaïdes from Oxford University, who combined a British and a French
perspective on the issues at hand. Etzioni supported Balkenende's appeal for a
moral dialogue, calling it "unavoidable, overdue, and essential."
(Link to full remarks)
In addition, Dutch communitarian Paul van Seters organized a seminar on the
communitarian approach to international relations, chaired by Ernst Hirsch
Ballin, another leading communitarian. The meeting took the form of
"An Author Meets His Critics," which focused on
"From Empire to Community: A New Approach to International Relations,"
Etzioni's new book.
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For documentation back-up and dialogue on the following news items, go to http://www.amitai-notes.com/blog/
Must Intervention be Legal?
According to "The Economist," whether or not an intervention in Darfur or
elsewhere is done within the realm of existing international law "...may not
matter much, for under international law, there is no inherent right of armed
humanitarian intervention, even to stop genocide." When laws set up for the
common good, in this case the international common good, fail to protect the
international community's most vulnerable members then it is clear what must
be done: change the law. "The Economist" July 31, 2004, page 40.
Read the full articlePolice Use Blood Samples to Convict Drunk Drivers
Export the First Amendment?
U.S. education contractors working in Iraq must decide whether or not to include
religious teachings in the new textbooks used by Iraqi school children. Some,
like Johns Hopkins professor Azar Nafisi, argue that Islamic teaching should
never be required in public schools. At the same time, several Muslims and
non-Muslims who have lived or worked in Islamic countries contend that the
teaching of Islam in the Iraqi public schools would help discourage extremism
by providing the basic information in a moderate way. To read more, see Mary Ann
Zehr, "Religious Study Confronts U.S. in Iraq," Education Week, June 11, 2003.
Christian buildings?
I have great admiration for the noble work that Habitat for Humanity does.
Period. I was taken aback though when the day's work started with everyone
expected to join in a Christian prayer. Also, when a building is completed, it
is turned over to the new occupant with a Christian version of the Bible.
Furthermore, I am told by a volunteer from Kenya that when the occupants are
not Christian, they receive a copy of whatever holy scriptures they hail to--and
a Christian Bible. I guess that we will next see a Jewish Habitat for Humanity,
an Islamic one, and so on. Could we not have a truly ecumenical one?
There Are Too Few Lawsuits, Not Too Many
For the Republicans, curbing medical malpractice and other "frivolous" suits are
a key theme of the campaign. Four states will vote November 2 on whether to enact
legislation limiting such lawsuits. But the truth is, there aren't too many
civil lawsuits; there are too few. Take medical malpractice. A 1990 Harvard
University study found that only one out of eight patients who had a valid
medical malpractice claim actually filed a suit. Ultimately, the issue comes
down to a question of balance. There are just two ways to encourage doctors,
hospital administrators, HMOs, and insurance companies to promote and pay for
such reforms and programs. We could enact appropriate laws and allocate the
funds to enforce them -- although this would be difficult considering the power
of the medical lobbies and federal and state budget shortfalls. Or we could
encourage malpractice lawsuits whenever there is just cause -- which would
result in safer medical practices across the board. Read the full article
***
The Global Studies Program at the University of Pittsburgh has invited Amitai Etzioni to lecture about his book, "From Empire to Community," in Room 1500 of Wesley W. Posvar Hall at 3 pm on October 20, 2004. At 7 pm that day, he will deliver a similar talk at The Institute for Cross-Cultural Ethics at LaRoche College. Members of the public are welcome to attend both events.
The book will also be discussed on October 26 at 3:30 pm at the London School
of Economics; October 28 at 12:30 pm at the Centre for Defence Information in
Brussels; October 31 at 6:00 pm at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem; and
November 4 at 7:30 pm at the University of Minnesota. If you are interested in
more information on any of these events, please visit
http://www.gwu.edu/~ccps/conferences.html
Publications of Interest
"The Citizen Stranger" by Jonathan Rosen ("New York Times" September 12, 2004, p. 13)
Subtle and profound examination of Jewish identity and culture in America.
Explores the writings of various Jewish writers and poets who describe the
immigration and assimilation processes.
"The World's Banker: A Story of Failed States, Financial Crises, and the Wealth
and Poverty of Nations" by Sebastian Mallaby (Penguin Books, 2004)
Story of the life and times of World Bank President James Wolfensohn.
At several points, provides critical perspective of international
non-governmental organizations, which are characterized at times as
non-representative, deceitful, and lacking a "turn-off" switch.
"Reconciling Individual Rights and the Common Good: Aquinas and Contemporary Law" by Paul Groarke and J.L.A. West (in "Philosophical Theory and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights" ed. William Sweet, July 2003)
Summarizes the debate between liberals and communitarians and proceeds to review
Aquinas's position within that debate. Concludes that Aquinas provides a theory
of individual rights under the law that sufficiently takes into account
provisions for the common good. Discusses this theory in relation to existing
legal and constitutional realities.
"The People Themselves: Popular Constitutionalism and Judicial Review" by Larry D. Kramer (Oxford Press, 2004)
Argues that early American citizens had a much greater role in interpreting the
U.S. constitution than is the case today, when constitutional questions are
mainly handled by the academic elites. Urges Americans to rekindle the practice
of "popular sovereignty over their constitution." to order, go to
http://www.oup.co.uk/isbn/0-19-516918-2/4
The Communitarian Network invites you to:
Order communitarian books by Amitai Etzioni, Edward W. Lehman, Daniel A. Bell, and Philip
Selznick at a 40-50% discount! For more information, please visit
http://www.gwu.edu/~ccps/order.html
Check Out Our Website and Weblog! Head to http://www.communitariannetwork.org for
communitarian publications, events, news, and ideas. Visit http://www.amitai-notes.com/blog for
current communitarian musings.
Send us your news. If you have news that highlights the communitarian perspective please
forward it to comnet@gwu.edu with "News" in the subject line.
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