Ethics and attack: the response to the use of chemical weapons in Syria

While the American Congress decides on the authorization for Barack Obama to determine an attack against military installations in Syria in response to evidence of use of chemical weapons by the troops of Bashar al-Assad - that have caused the death of 1,400 civilians -, the IEA and the IRI - Instituto de Relações Internacionais (Institute of International Relations) of USP will hold the roundtable ‘Ética e Ataque’ (‘Ethics and Attack’) on September 11 at 10 am in IEA’s event room.

The roundtable will address the relationship between universal ethics, geopolitical governance and political differences. The panelists will be philosopher and anthropologist Massimo Canevacci, philosopher Renato Janine Ribeiro, sociologist Bernardo Sorj (via Skype) and lawyers Peter Dallari and Deisy Ventura.

The panelists will reflect on answers to two questions: ‘Can political actions resolve international conflicts by avoiding the use of violence?’ and ‘Can ethics remain indifferent to the monstrosity of the use of chemical weapons?’.

Among the issues to be discussed at the meeting there are the basic political values ​​- a humanist vision of relations between different cultures -, geopolitics and human rights, global governance, the issue of national sovereignty and the role of the Syrian case to the UN.

The event will be broadcast live from IEA's Event Room at www.iea.usp.br/aovivo.