Pacifism and the problem of protecting others

Abstract

The article seeks to apply a pacifist lens to the problem of the politics of protection. It does this by adopting a version of pacifism that seeks non-violence but at the same time rejects a firm and unchanging definition of violence. The version of pacifism put forward here derives ultimately from a cosmopolitan sense of self that is the recognition that all subject positions are neither fixed nor unchanging and are subject to internal conflict. Pacifism here aims to overcome the twin weaknesses of abstraction and moralisation. As such, pacifism is stripped of its apparent moral absolutism and is transformed into a site of uncertainty. The article argues that pacifism concerns more than merely the rejection of war or violence in the abstract. Neither should pacifism be limited to the instrumental promotion of non-violent resistance as though violence and non-violence were points on a spectrum. Rather, pacifism involves removing the safety net of moral certainty. It is a step into the unknown that requires a radical reimagining of the problem of violence, not just an alternative solution.