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ICFRC: Political Neutrality in the Military

Listen to an audio podcast of this program.

Jovana Davidovic is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Iowa, where she also holds a complimentary appointment at the Law School and the Center for Human Rights. Her research focuses on military ethics, political philosophy, international law, and organizational ethics. Jovana's publications have covered a wide range of issues including humanitarian military interventions, displacement in war, ethics of collateral damage, and international humanitarian and human rights law. Most recently she has developed an interest in issues around AI ethics, especially in military settings- and issues of use of algorithms for decision-making in the military.

Commonly the military stays out of politics, and for good reason. Federal law regulates political activity for active duty military rather strictly because the consequences of having a military that is partisan can be devastating, as history has shown us repeatedly. But what exactly does it mean to say that the military ought to stay out of politics? The recent uptick in active duty military personnel commenting on government policy has reignited interest in the military's political neutrality rules.

For more information on the Foreign Relations Council visit their website at www.icfrc.org.

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