Christian Nikolaus Braun
Christian Nikolaus Braun is a lecturer in the Defence Studies Department at King's College London.
Christian's primary area of research is the ethics of war and peace. His research grapples with existing and emerging challenges in armed conflict and he has a keen interest in broader international security and political affairs. His research has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, including Ethics & International Affairs, Global Studies Quarterly, International Relations, International Theory, the Journal of Military Ethics and the Journal of International Political Theory. His first research monograph, titled Limited Force and the Fight for the Just War Tradition, has been published by Georgetown University Press. In 2020, Christian was awarded the Royal United Services Institute's (RUSI) Trench Gascoigne Essay Prize.
Christian is also an experienced teacher, who has taught in Germany, the UK and the US at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. He is committed to providing student-centred teaching on a broad range of themes, including the Just War Tradition, Military Ethics, the changing character of war, the Law of Armed Conflict and other areas of interest related to international security and political affairs. In addition, he has experience in Professional Military Education and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).
You can follow Christian on twitter @ChristianBraun.
Christian's primary area of research is the ethics of war and peace. His research grapples with existing and emerging challenges in armed conflict and he has a keen interest in broader international security and political affairs. His research has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, including Ethics & International Affairs, Global Studies Quarterly, International Relations, International Theory, the Journal of Military Ethics and the Journal of International Political Theory. His first research monograph, titled Limited Force and the Fight for the Just War Tradition, has been published by Georgetown University Press. In 2020, Christian was awarded the Royal United Services Institute's (RUSI) Trench Gascoigne Essay Prize.
Christian is also an experienced teacher, who has taught in Germany, the UK and the US at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. He is committed to providing student-centred teaching on a broad range of themes, including the Just War Tradition, Military Ethics, the changing character of war, the Law of Armed Conflict and other areas of interest related to international security and political affairs. In addition, he has experience in Professional Military Education and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).
You can follow Christian on twitter @ChristianBraun.
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the likelihood of success principle in just war thinking. Its analysis
is grounded in a neoclassical reading of just war that is applied to
the ongoing Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The article
starts with an exploration of the status of the likelihood of success
principle in contemporary just war thinking. Noting that the
difficulty of applying this principle has been pointed out by various
thinkers, the chapter adapts the distinction between the so-called
deontological and prudential just war principles found in
neoclassical just war thinking. This distinction holds that the
deontological principles hold primary importance within the logic of
just war, and the prudential principles, including likelihood of
success, are of secondary importance only. The article continues
with an assessment of the practical implications of this distinction
by applying it to two different types of warfare, namely so-called
“wars of necessity” and “wars of choice.”
nuclear weapons as articulated by Pope Francis. Francis has
generally followed the position of his immediate predecessors
with regard to the Catholic teaching on just war. While the resort
to armed force remains a morally justifiable option if the
principles of just war have been met, the pope forcefully
emphasises the tools of nonviolent peacebuilding. Recently,
however, Francis made an original just war argument when he
broke with the Church’s established position on nuclear weapons.
The pope declared both the use and possession of nuclear
weapons “immoral” and, thus, abandoned the Church’s reluctant
acceptance of nuclear deterrence that had survived the end of
the Cold War. In this essay, I analyse the rationale behind
Francis’s decision to break with nuclear deterrence, which is
mainly grounded in the disillusionment about the failed promise
of nuclear disarmament. Furthermore, I assess the impact of the
new position with regard to Catholic soldiers serving in nuclear
armed militaries.
from Afghanistan in 2021. It does so by applying classical just war
thinking. The classical bellum justum, it argues, can make a
distinctive contribution toward evaluating the decision to leave
Afghanistan, a decision that continues to be discussed
controversially. The article points out that classical just war
thinking did not introduce distinct moral categories beyond jus ad
bellum, such as jus in bello or jus post bellum. Exactly because
classical just war thinking was meant to apply to all phases of a
war, the article goes on to argue, it provides important lessons for
just war as a tool of statecraft that seeks to inform political
decision-making. Applying the wisdom that is encapsulated in the
classical bellum justum to the withdrawal decision in Afghanistan,
the article, although it is critical of its execution, generally sides
with the Biden administration’s course of action.
the likelihood of success principle in just war thinking. Its analysis
is grounded in a neoclassical reading of just war that is applied to
the ongoing Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The article
starts with an exploration of the status of the likelihood of success
principle in contemporary just war thinking. Noting that the
difficulty of applying this principle has been pointed out by various
thinkers, the chapter adapts the distinction between the so-called
deontological and prudential just war principles found in
neoclassical just war thinking. This distinction holds that the
deontological principles hold primary importance within the logic of
just war, and the prudential principles, including likelihood of
success, are of secondary importance only. The article continues
with an assessment of the practical implications of this distinction
by applying it to two different types of warfare, namely so-called
“wars of necessity” and “wars of choice.”
nuclear weapons as articulated by Pope Francis. Francis has
generally followed the position of his immediate predecessors
with regard to the Catholic teaching on just war. While the resort
to armed force remains a morally justifiable option if the
principles of just war have been met, the pope forcefully
emphasises the tools of nonviolent peacebuilding. Recently,
however, Francis made an original just war argument when he
broke with the Church’s established position on nuclear weapons.
The pope declared both the use and possession of nuclear
weapons “immoral” and, thus, abandoned the Church’s reluctant
acceptance of nuclear deterrence that had survived the end of
the Cold War. In this essay, I analyse the rationale behind
Francis’s decision to break with nuclear deterrence, which is
mainly grounded in the disillusionment about the failed promise
of nuclear disarmament. Furthermore, I assess the impact of the
new position with regard to Catholic soldiers serving in nuclear
armed militaries.
from Afghanistan in 2021. It does so by applying classical just war
thinking. The classical bellum justum, it argues, can make a
distinctive contribution toward evaluating the decision to leave
Afghanistan, a decision that continues to be discussed
controversially. The article points out that classical just war
thinking did not introduce distinct moral categories beyond jus ad
bellum, such as jus in bello or jus post bellum. Exactly because
classical just war thinking was meant to apply to all phases of a
war, the article goes on to argue, it provides important lessons for
just war as a tool of statecraft that seeks to inform political
decision-making. Applying the wisdom that is encapsulated in the
classical bellum justum to the withdrawal decision in Afghanistan,
the article, although it is critical of its execution, generally sides
with the Biden administration’s course of action.