In memoriam prof. univ. dr. Robert Doron Reisz (13.11.1964-02.02.2020)

This short piece represents an evocation of professor Reisz’s generous personality. He was a wonderful and supportive colleague, and he will surely be missed. His professional and moral legacy will nevertheless continue to grow.

The Moral Legacy of the ICTY

The chapter sets the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) legacy into context from a broader UN perspective. It shows that ideas of morality and responsibility are fundamental to the establishment of the ICTY and a cornerstone of the ‘age of accountability’. The chapter argues that the ICTY had a pioneering role in shaping discourse on international justice and serious international crimes and institutional developments, ranging from the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) to the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM). It discusses four challenges that are fundamental to the development of an international accountability system: the financing of international criminal court and tribunals; the length of proceedings; the development of governance mechanisms; and the centrality of the role of victims. The chapter concludes that, in an ideal world, institutions such as the ICTY would not be needed. However, until such a time arrives, the legacy of the ICTY can provide important insights on building domestic capacity and guiding other international tribunals.

The Moral Legacy of Marxism

Marx would not have anything much to contribute to contemporary discussions of ‘normativity’, because he would reject various of the assumptions on which they rest. Thus, he does not believe it possible to isolate ‘moral normativity’ as a distinct object of decontextualised study so as to derive from it rationally grounded imperative to individual action. This does not mean that Marx can provide no orientation for human action, but this has a different nature and structure. Marx suspicions of ethical theories are well founded, but his own productivist assumptions should be revisited.

The Catholic Sage: Remarks on Southey’s Sir Thomas More: or, Colloquies on the Progress and Prospects of Society

This article addresses the general question of the status of Thomas More as a cultural icon by focusing on Robert Southey’s Sir Thomas More: or, Colloquies on the Progress and Prospects of Society (1829). The discussion emphasizes the role of religion in Southey’s view of history and of More’s character, as well as the ways in which Southey’s work conveys a sense of the traditions of utopianism and implies a particular conception of intellectual authority. It is shown that, whereas authors like Thomas Stapleton, Anthony Munday, Robert Bolt and Hilary Mantel represented More as a man who challenged established opinions and authorities, either wisely or presumptuously, in the name of the authority of his own conscience, Southey was interested in overcoming the oppositional view of More’s character, career and moral legacy. The Colloquies accordingly express the author’s hopes of a future, eschatological state in which religious differences between Catholic and Protestant will be subsumed. It becomes clear that the work is as much a commentary on contemporary society, and especially on the condition of the Church of England, as it is an exercise in self-definition on the part of its author.