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

by Michael L. Gross

• ISBN13: 9780521685108
• ISBN10: 0521685109
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• 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?

Author Biography

Michael L. Gross is professor of political science and chair of the Department of International Relations at the University of Haifa, Israel. He is the author of Ethics and Activism: The Theory and Practice of Political Morality (Cambridge University Press, 1997) and Bioethics and Armed Conflict: Moral Dilemmas of Medicine and War (2006).

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
List of Abbreviations	p. xiii
Torture, Assassination, and Blackmail in an Age of Asymmetric Conflict	p. 1
A Brief Rundown	p. 5
Fundamental Characteristics	p. 8
Types of Asymmetric Conflict	p. 13
Dilemmas and Paradoxes of Asymmetric Conflict	p. 21
Friends, Foes, or Brothers in Arms? The Puzzle of Combatant Equality	p. 26
The Idea of Combatant Equality	p. 27
Combatant (In)Equality in Asymmetric War	p. 34
Assigning Combatant Equality in Asymmetric War	p. 45
Combatants in Asymmetric War
Shooting to Kill: The Paradox of Prohibited Weapons	p. 54
Limiting the Way We Kill	p. 54
Superfluous Injury and Unnecessary Suffering	p. 55
Banned Weapons Today	p. 58
Unnecessary Suffering in Asymmetric War	p. 62
Shooting to Stun: The Paradox of Nonlethal Warfare	p. 77
The Nature of Nonlethal Weapons	p. 78
Can They Work?	p. 85
Are They Legal?	p. 90
The Future of Nonlethal Weapons	p. 98
Murder, Self-Defense, or Execution? The Dilemma of Assassination	p. 100
What Is Assassination and Targeted Killing?	p. 101
Targeted Killing: An Effective Tactic of War?	p. 111
Reassessing Targeted Killing and Assassination	p. 117
Torture and Assassination	p. 121
Human Dignity or Human Life: The Dilemmas of Torture and Rendition	p. 122
The Torture Debate Today	p. 124
Justifying Interrogational Torture	p. 133
Rendition and Interrogation	p. 139
The Dilemma of the Torture Debate	p. 144
Noncombatants in Asymmetric War
Blackmailing the Innocent: The Dilemma of Noncombatant Immunity	p. 153
Noncombatant Immunity and Civilian Vulnerability	p. 154
Reassessing Proportionality in Asymmetric Conflict	p. 163
Human Shields and Inaccurate Weaponry	p. 166
Deterrence, Demoralization, and Punishment	p. 174
Killing the Innocent: The Dilemma of Terrorism	p. 178
Guerrilla-ism and Terrorism	p. 179
Justifying the Heinous	p. 182
The Limits of Defensible Terrorism	p. 198
Fighting in the Shadow of Harm to Civilians	p. 201
Risking Our Lives to Save Others: Puzzles of Humanitarian Intervention	p. 205
The Dilemma of Humanitarian Intervention	p. 205
The Paradox of Humanitarian Intervention	p. 213
Overcoming State Boundaries	p. 219
Reasonable Costs for Nations and Citizens	p. 223
Conclusion and Afterword
Torture, Assassination, and Blackmail: New Norms for Asymmetric Conflict?	p. 233
Exceptionalism or the Rule?	p. 234
Between Military Necessity and Humanitarianism	p. 238
A Descent into Barbarism?	p. 250
The War in Gaza, December 2008 to January 2009	p. 253
Fighting a Zero-Tolerance Ground War	p. 254
Proportionality and Acceptable Harm to Civilians	p. 255
Saving Soldiers' Lives: At What Cost?	p. 260
Notes	p. 265
Selected Bibliography	p. 301
Index	p. 311
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