The Contemporary Ethical Debates series looks at the most pressing ethical concerns confronting human beings at the beginning of the 21st century. This a philosophical treatment of the recent wave of armed conflicts around the world and the dangers they represent. It tackles some of the pressing questions such as: are there universally acceptable principles for determining the justice of political claims made by national, ethnic and religious groups and for dealing with the conflicts they may cause? Or are we plunged into a world where contending cultures cannot accept common standards for establishing peaceful co-existence? Can we adopt an ethical outlook on the conduct of hostilities and the resolution of armed conflict? Or has September 11th changed the moral landscape unrecognizably? The book examines the ethical status of national and ethnic groups and assesses their claims. It discusses: the causes of new wars; the nature of cultural conflict; which groups have a right to secede from their state; when armed force in pursuit of independence is justified; whether Just War Theory is adequate for assessing and regulating contemporary conflicts; how external intervention or assistance can help or hinder; and what the shape of a 21st-century world that both respects cultural differences and achieves peace should be. Topical and interdisciplinary in scope, the book draws on examples from Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere. This volume should appeal especially to students and general readers in philosophy, politics, law and international relations.