On Compromise and Rotten Compromises

by Margalit, Avishai

• ISBN13: 9780691133171
• ISBN10: 0691133174
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-10-12
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

When is political compromise acceptable--and when is it fundamentally rotten, something we should never accept, come what may? What if a rotten compromise is politically necessary? Compromise is a great political virtue, especially for the sake of peace. But, as Avishai Margalit argues, there are moral limits to acceptable compromise even for peace. But just what are those limits? At what point does peace secured with compromise become unjust? Focusing attention on vitally important questions that have received surprisingly little attention, Margalit argues that we should be concerned not only with what makes a just war, but also with what kind of compromise allows for a just peace.Examining a wide range of examples, including the Munich Agreement, the Yalta Conference, and Arab-Israeli peace negotiations, Margalit provides a searching examination of the nature of political compromise in its various forms. Combining philosophy, politics, and history, and written in a vivid and accessible style,On Compromise and Rotten Compromisesis full of surprising new insights about war, peace, justice, and sectarianism.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction Why Compromise?	p. 1
Two Pictures of Political Compromise	p. 19
Varieties of Compromise	p. 39
Compromising for Peace	p. 69
Compromise and Political Necessity	p. 89
The Morality of Rotten Compromises	p. 121
Sectarianism and Compromise	p. 147
Conclusion Between Evil and Radical Evil	p. 175
Notes	p. 199
Index	p. 211
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.