The Warrior's Honor Ethnic War and the Modern Conscience

by Ignatieff, Michael

• ISBN13: 9780805055191
• ISBN10: 0805055193
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-10-15
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks

Summary

Since the early 1990s, Michael Ignatieff has traveled the world's war zones, from Bosnia to the West Bank, from Afghanistan to central Africa. The Warrior's Honor is a report and a reflection on what he has seen in the places where ethnic war has become a way of life. Ignatieff charts the rise of the new moral interventionists--the relief workers, reporters, delegates, and diplomats who believe that other people's misery is of concern to us all. And he brings us face-to-face with the new ethnic warriors--the warlords, gunmen, and paramilitaries--who have escalated postmodern war to an unprecedented level of savagery. Hard-hitting and passionate, The Warrior's Honor is a profound and searching exploration of the perils and obligations of moral citizenship in a world scarred by war and genocide. Michael Ignatieffis a frequent contributor toThe New YorkerandThe New York Review of Books, among other publications. He is also the author of many acclaimed books, includingBlood and Belonging, Isaiah Berlin, The Warrior's Honor, The Russian Album,The Needs of Strangers, andVirtual War. During the 1990s, Ignatieff traveled the world's war zones, from Bosnia to the West Bank, from Afghanistan to central Africa.The Warrior's Honoris a report and a reflection on what he has seen in the places where ethnic war has become a way of life. He charts the rise of the new moral interventioniststhe aid workers, reporters, peacekeepers, Red Cross delegates, and diplomatswho believe that other people's misery is of concern to us all. He brings us face-to-face with the new ethnic warriorsthe warlords, gunmen, and paramilitary forceswho have escalated post-modern war to an unprecedented level of savagery. From the encounter of these two groups, he draws realizations about the ambiguous ethics of engagement, the limited force of moral justice in a world of war, and the inevitable clash between those who defend tribal and national loyalties and those who speak the universal language of human rights.The Warrior's Honoris a profound and searching exploration of the perils and obligations of moral citizenship in a world increasingly scarred by war and genocide. "Compelling and penetrating."The Boston Globe "Important, well-written and accessible."The Washington Times "Ignatieff's arguement is simple and, to my mind, irresistible."The New York Times Book Review "If you are trying to understand the role of ethnic conflicts in the world today, Ignatieff is one of the best guides . . . Ignatieff's insights are acute and profound."Peter Maas,Los Angeles Times Book Review "Combines superior reporting with provocative and troubling insights on the world we've inherited. Its mastery of the psychology of warrior, victim, and aid-giver makes its author one of the most thoughtful commentators on an issue which seems certain to dominate the early decades of the [21st] century."The New York Review of Books

Author Biography

Michael Ignatieff is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker and The New York Review of Books, among other publications and the author of many acclaimed books including Blood and Belonging, Isaiah Berlin, The Warrior's Honor, The Russian Album, The Needs of Strangers, and Virtual War. He lives in London and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 3
Is Nothing Sacred? The Ethics of Television	p. 9
The Narcissism of Minor Difference	p. 34
The Seductiveness of Moral Disgust	p. 72
The Warrior's Honor	p. 109
The Nightmare from Which We Are Trying to Awake	p. 164
Notes on Sources	p. 191
Index	p. 197
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