Pursuing Moral Warfare: Ethics in American, British, and Israeli Counterinsurgency

Description

During combat, soldiers make life-and-death choices dozens of times a day. These individual decisions accumulate to determine the outcome of wars. This work examines the theory and practice of military ethics in counterinsurgency operations. Marcus Schulzke surveys the ethical traditions that militaries borrow from; compares ethics in practice in the US Army, British Army and Royal Marines Commandos, and Israel Defense Forces; and draws conclusions that may help militaries refine their approaches in future conflicts. The work is based on interviews with veterans and military personnel responsible for ethics training, review of training materials and other official publications, published accounts from combat veterans, and observation of US Army focus groups with active-duty soldiers. Schulzke makes a convincing argument that though military ethics cannot guarantee flawless conduct, incremental improvements can be made to reduce war’s destructiveness while improving the success of counterinsurgency operations. Dedication Contents Acknowledgments Introduction 1 The Emergence of Military Ethics 2 Moral Theory and Ethics at War 3 Constraints on Ethical Reasoning in Combat 4 Ethical Decisions in Counterinsurgency Operations 5 The US Army and Virtue Ethics: Embodying the Warrior Ethos 6 The US Army in Afghanistan and Iraq: Warrior Virtue in Asymmetric Wars 7 British Military Ethics: Pragmatism and Minimalism 8 The British Military’s Adaptive Struggle: Adjusting to New Challenges 9 The Israel Defense Forces: On Guard against Existential Threats 10 The Ethics of Israeli Counterinsurgency Operations: Navigating the Rules of War Conclusion Appendix: List of Interview Questions Notes Index About the Author