Moral Dilemmas of Modern War: Torture, Assassination, and Blackmail in an Age of Asymmetric Conflict

by Michael L. Gross

• ISBN13: 9780521866156
• ISBN10: 0521866154
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-11-30
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Asymmetric conflict is changing the way that we practise and think about war. Torture, rendition, assassination, blackmail, extortion, direct attacks on civilians, and chemical weapons are all finding their way to the battlefield despite longstanding international prohibitions. This book offers a practical guide for policy makers, military officers, students, and others who ask such questions as: Do guerillas deserve respect or long jail sentences? Are there grounds to torture guerillas for information or assassinate them on the battlefield? Is there room for nonlethal weapons to subdue militants and safeguard the lives of noncombatants? Who are noncombatants in asymmetric war? What is the status of civilians who shelter and aid guerillas? And, do guerillas have any right to attack civilians, particularly those who aid and shelter members of the stronger army? If one side can expand the scope of civilian vulnerability, then why can't the other?

Table of Contents

Torture, assassination and blackmail in modern, asymmetric conflict

Friends, foes or brothers in arms? The puzzle of combatant equality

Dilemmas and Paradoxes of Combatancy

Shooting to kill: the paradox of prohibited weapons

Shooting to stun: the paradox of nonlethal warfare

Murder, self-defense or execution? The dilemma of assassination

Human dignity or human life: the dilemmas of torture

Dilemmas and Paradoxes of Noncombatancy

Blackmailing the innocent: the dilemma of noncombatant immunity

Killing the innocent: the dilemma of terror

Risking our lives to save others: the paradox (and dilemma) of humanitarian intervention

Conclusion

Torture, assassination and blackmail: new norms for asymmetric conflict?

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