Marc LiVecche

Marc LiVecche is the McDonald Distinguished Scholar of Ethics, War, and Public Life at Providence. He is also a non-resident research fellow at the US Naval War College, in the College of Leadership and Ethics.

Marc completed doctoral studies, earning distinction, at the University of Chicago, where he worked under the supervision of the political theorist and public intellectual Jean Bethke Elshtain, until her death in August, 2013. His first book, The Good Kill: Just War & Moral Injury, was published in 2021 by Oxford University Press. Another project, Responsibility and Restraint: James Turner Johnson and the Just War Tradition, co-edited with Eric Patterson, was published by Stone Tower Press in the fall of 2020. Currently, he is finalizing Moral Horror: A Just War Defense of Hiroshima. Before all this academic stuff, Marc spent twelve years doing a variety of things in Central Europe—ranging from helping build sport and recreational leagues in post-communist communities, to working at a Christian study and research center, to leading seminars on history and ethics onsite at the former Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi concentration camp in Poland. This latter experience allowed him to continue his undergraduate study of the Shoah; a process which rendered him entirely ill-suited for pacifism.

Marc lives in Annapolis, Maryland with his wife and children–and a marmota monax whistlepigging under the shed. He can be followed, or stalked, on twitter @mlivecche. Additional publications can be found at his Amazon author page.

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Hamas, Israel, hostages
Hamas Must be Delegitimized Even As it is Destroyed

The hostage negotiations, while welcomed, gave Hamas a victory by affirming its status as the political leader in Gaza. No more. It’s time to kill it.

Marc LiVecche Christianity & National Security 2023

Marc LiVecche’s lecture at Christianity & National Security 2023. Marc LiVecche discusses the Just War Tradition and the Israel-Hamas conflict….

Veterans Day
Oorah! Happy Veterans Day

Today marks the observance to two great national holidays that honor the heroes among us. Go out your way to thank a veteran and hug a Marine.

Israel flag
The Way Out is Through: Peace Must Start with the End of Hamas

While protecting her people and seeking justice, Israel must minimize harms against innocent Palestinians and multiply hell on Hamas.

prudence just war wisdom
Just War 101 — E9: Prudence; or, Reality (Sometimes) Bites

Just war morality demands that ethical judgements must take into account certain cold, unrelenting, and frustratingly immovable facts. Wisdom matters.

Education school of athens
One End of Learning

Education in a free society is aimed at morally forming men and women of character capable of helping that free society to flourish

Jean Bethke Elshtain: An Augustinian at War
Jean Bethke Elshtain: After Ten Years

Today marks the denary anniversary of Jean Elshtain’s death. She is much missed. Her brand of Christian realist thinking is desperately needed today.

Russia and China at Once – Part III: The Importance of Alliances (Including Internal)

The United States cannot pursue a strategy capable of deterring and, if necessary, defeating both China and Russia at the same time alone. We need allies.

Hiroshima World War 2 nuclear Nagasaki
People Were Not Directly In the Atomic Crosshairs

We can rightly regret the necessity of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But their primary purpose was never the killing of large numbers of civilians.

Russia and China at Once — Part II: We Must Increase Defense Spending

In order to meet the requirements of the two-front fight we are in, the morally responsible thing is to commit to properly funding our military

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Christianity & National Security 2023

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