Daryl Charles, a contributing editor of Providence, is a senior fellow of the Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy. He is co-editor (with Eric Patterson) of Just War and Christian Traditions (University of Notre Dame Press, 2022), author of The Russian Invasion of Ukraine and the Ethics of War (Stone Tower Press, 2024), and most recently, The Idea and Significance of Natural Law (Stone Tower Press, 2025). He can be contacted at [email protected].
A “peace at all costs” attitude belies that an unjust, strategically unsound peace that just kicks the can down the road will be no peace at all
J. Daryl CharlesFebruary 28, 2025
The pursuit of Augustine’s idea of “tranquillitas ordinis” (tranquility of order) is the ultimate purpose of just war theory and just statecraft
J. Daryl CharlesFebruary 12, 2025
America’s founders, amid their religious differences, saw the need for interaction between religion and state that neither coerces nor excludes. Natural law reasoning fits perfectly with this model of church-state relations.
J. Daryl CharlesNovember 13, 2024
Nations are sovereign, but that sovereignty does not override the essential human dignity of all persons which, when horribly violated, necessitates an international response
J. Daryl CharlesOctober 24, 2024
If the West allows the credible threat of deterrence to die with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, only more violence will ensue in the long run
J. Daryl CharlesAugust 15, 2024
The time has come to allow Ukraine to defend herself properly. Half-measures, which up until now have characterized Western strategy, are not enough.
J. Daryl CharlesJune 19, 2024
Pope Francis’s comments urging Ukrainian surrender are morally wrong and inconsistent with Catholic teaching
J. Daryl CharlesApril 11, 2024
Supporting Ukraine should not be viewed as charity. Rather, it is the first and most important part of U.S. foreign policy
J. Daryl CharlesFebruary 29, 2024
American military planners have not given the Ukrainians the tools they need to win and win now
J. Daryl CharlesFebruary 12, 2024
The cost of aiding Ukraine may be high, but the cost of not is probably higher
J. Daryl CharlesDecember 13, 2023