Fernando Roberto Tesón will suggest that the verdict of just war theory diverges from the verdict of international law, at least if the latter relies on conventional positivist sources. Under just war theory, the Iran war, depending on the facts, may be justified as a legitimate attempt by liberal democracies to prevent a tyrannical regime from possessing a nuclear weapon. Under conventional international law, in contrast, the Iran war may well be unlawful, depending on the assumed jurisprudential premises. If so, Fernando Roberto Tesón argues that international law is unjust because it overprotects evil regimes, and that the war initiated by the United States and Israel is a justified act of legal disobedience.

About the speaker:

Fernando Roberto Tesón is Eminent Scholar Emeritus at Florida State University College of Law. His areas of interest are the philosophy of international law, humanitarian intervention, global justice, and political rhetoric. He published Debating Humanitarian Intervention (Oxford University Press, 2018) [with Bas van der Vossen]; Justice at a Distance: Extending Freedom Globally (Cambridge University Press, 2015) [with Loren Lomasky]; Rational Choice and Democratic Deliberation (Cambridge University Press 2006) [with Guido Pincione]; Humanitarian Intervention: An Inquiry into Law and Morality (Transnational Publishers, 3rd ed. 2005); A Philosophy of International Law (Westview Press 1998); and dozens of articles in law, philosophy, and international relations journals and collections of essays. Before joining FSU in 2003 he taught for 17 years at Arizona State University. He has served as visiting professor at many universities in North and South America, and in Europe. He plays three musical instruments and is a competitive bridge player with Diamond Life Master rank.