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Sovereign Immunity and the Moral Community

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2015

Abstract

Government policies and practices can exert significant influence on ethical behavior in a society. Many governments still rely on a long-standing prerogative of sovereigns, the defense of sovereign immunity, to avoid public inquiry about acts that are clearly immoral. However, the basic theory and frequent practice of invoking sovereign immunity cannot be ethically justified. Moreover, such practices model conduct based on power rather than reason, fairness, or justice, and invite both nations and individuals to view politics and business as a power game to be played and won, rather than as a process of building communities that emphasize reciprocity and commitment to moral principles.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Business Ethics 1992

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References

Notes

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16 28 U.S.C. §2671 et. seq,

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22 United States v. Stanley, pp. 694-95. Italics in original.

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50 Id., p. 7.

51 Id., at x.

52 Id.

53 Id., op. cit., p. 9.