Yale professor Samuel Moyn joins us to explore how drones, AI, and precision strikes have transformed modern conflict. Based on his book Humane, this conversation asks whether efforts to make war more “humane” have sidelined the goal of peace itself.

Show Notes:
Connect with Sam
Yale: https://law.yale.edu/samuel-moyn Website: https://campuspress.yale.edu/samuelmoyn/
Books by Sam:🆕 Liberalism Against Itself: Cold War Intellectuals and the Making of Our Times (2023)

A critique of Cold War-era liberal thinkers who, in Moyn’s view, stripped liberalism of its utopian and transformative aspirations — leading to the more constrained version we see today.

🧠 Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War (2021)

Explores how efforts to humanize war — through legal and technological means — have helped make war more acceptable and therefore unending.

📉 Not Enough: Human Rights in an Unequal World (2018)

Argues that modern human rights discourse has focused on minimum protections rather than addressing global inequality and distributive justice.

Articles by Sam:
Casus Belli, Harper’s Magazine, August 2025.
America is over Neo-Liberalism & Neo-Conservatism - Trump is not, The Guardian, July 2025.
The United States and the Human Rights Presidency, June 2025.

Previous Episode with Sam:
https://sageinternational.com.au/the-focus/humane-war-making-a-better-world/

Yale professor&nbsp;Samuel Moyn&nbsp;joins us to explore how drones, AI, and precision strikes have transformed modern conflict. Based on his book&nbsp;Humane, this conversation asks whether efforts to make war more &ldquo;humane&rdquo; have sidelined the goal of peace itself.
Show Notes: Connect with Sam Yale:&nbsp;<a href="https://law.yale.edu/samuel-moyn">https://law.yale.edu/samuel-moyn</a>&nbsp;Website:&nbsp;<a href="https://campuspress.yale.edu/samuelmoyn/">https://campuspress.yale.edu/samuelmoyn/</a> Books by Sam:🆕&nbsp;Liberalism Against Itself: Cold War Intellectuals and the Making of Our Times&nbsp;(2023)
A critique of Cold War-era liberal thinkers who, in Moyn&rsquo;s view, stripped liberalism of its utopian and transformative aspirations &mdash; leading to the more constrained version we see today.
🧠&nbsp;Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War&nbsp;(2021)
Explores how efforts to humanize war &mdash; through legal and technological means &mdash; have helped make war more acceptable and therefore unending.
📉&nbsp;Not Enough: Human Rights in an Unequal World&nbsp;(2018)
Argues that modern human rights discourse has focused on minimum protections rather than addressing global inequality and distributive justice.
Articles by Sam: Casus Belli, Harper&rsquo;s Magazine, August 2025. America is over Neo-Liberalism &amp; Neo-Conservatism - Trump is not, The Guardian, July 2025. The United States and the Human Rights Presidency, June 2025. Previous Episode with Sam: <a dir="ltr" href="https://sageinternational.com.au/the-focus/humane-war-making-a-better-world/"></a>https://sageinternational.com.au/the-focus/humane-war-making-a-better-world/

The Focus is the flagship current affairs podcast of SAGE International, an independent, Adelaide-based geopolitical  think tank.

Hosted by Dr. John Bruni—a veteran geopolitical commentator with over 24 years in the Australian media—The Focus brings a critical edge to global affairs. John's expertise is built on decades of experience, including time with the Royal United Services Institute of Australia, work as a university lecturer, senatorial foreign affairs adviser, analyst for Jane’s Intelligence Review, and Gulf-based military analyst.

Produced by Neil Smart, The Focus cuts through the noise of biased media to deliver sharp, informed insights into the major issues shaping Australia and the world. In an age of global disruption and complexity, knowing which questions to ask is more vital than ever.

The Focus&nbsp;is the flagship current affairs podcast of&nbsp;SAGE International, an independent, Adelaide-based geopolitical &nbsp;think tank.
Hosted by&nbsp;Dr. John Bruni&mdash;a veteran geopolitical commentator with over 24 years in the Australian media&mdash;The Focus&nbsp;brings a critical edge to global affairs. John's expertise is built on decades of experience, including time with the&nbsp;Royal United Services Institute of Australia, work as a university lecturer, senatorial foreign affairs adviser, analyst for&nbsp;Jane&rsquo;s Intelligence Review, and Gulf-based military analyst.
Produced by&nbsp;Neil Smart,&nbsp;The Focus&nbsp;cuts through the noise of biased media to deliver sharp, informed insights into the major issues shaping Australia and the world. In an age of global disruption and complexity, knowing which questions to ask is more vital than ever.

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