This comprehensive overview examines the many facets of military ethics as they are applied during times of armed conflict and times of peace. An Introduction to Military Ethics: A Reference Handbook presents the philosophical and conceptual foundations of military ethics, offering an excellent foundation for exploration and discussion of these issues. It focuses first on the 2,500-year legacy of the "just war theory" and its application through history. It then moves to the application of that tradition in the modern era, showing how acts of terrorism by nonstate participants require a new theory and way of thinking about when and how armed force can be justifiably employed. Further, the author analyzes how new theories might alter the fundamental identity of traditional defensive military forces. The book also addresses peacetime ethical issues, such as gender integration and the role of religion in the military. The book is essential reading for military officers and students, as well as those policymakers who confront decisions about how to deploy military force during the War on Terror.

This comprehensive overview examines the many facets of military ethics as they are applied during times of armed conflict and times of peace. An Introduction to Military Ethics: A Reference Handbook presents the philosophical and conceptual foundations of military ethics, offering an excellent foundation for exploration and discussion of these issues. It focuses first on the 2,500-year legacy of the "just war theory" and its application through history. It then moves to the application of that tradition in the modern era, showing how acts of terrorism by nonstate participants require a new theory and way of thinking about when and how armed force can be justifiably employed. Further, the author analyzes how new theories might alter the fundamental identity of traditional defensive military forces. The book also addresses peacetime ethical issues, such as gender integration and the role of religion in the military. The book is essential reading for military officers and students, as well as those policymakers who confront decisions about how to deploy military force during the War on Terror.

This book provides an introduction to the real-life ethical issues faced by those serving in modern military forces. With its focus on the practical problems facing those in positions of command, it is of particular relevance to prospective military officers at military academies. The book is also appropriate for Ethics of War and Military Ethics courses at non-military undergraduate programs in philosophy and ethics. The book includes more than fifty specially selected case studies, many previously unpublished. These cases enable students to examine, in real and understandable situations, the ethical problems which military personnel face in modern operations.

An approachable, case-driven account of global military ethics. Raises and responds to some of the most important and provocative questions about the proper role and conduct of military organizations and their members. Links sweeping, centuries-old political issues regarding war and the use of force in international relations to the day-to-day responsibilities of the individual members of the profession.

Can war be morally justified? What is the philosophy behind armed conflict? How do you conduct an ethical war? And what guides military action as the nature of conflict changes over time? Based on a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) designed for both military personnel and non-specialists across the globe, Key Concepts in Military Ethics is structured as a series of ‘mini-chapters’ that cover a huge range of topics and issues: moral dilemmas, military and civilian interactions, freedom of the press, peacekeeping, terrorism, and humanitarian intervention. Written by a team of academic experts, many with military experience, the book contains scenarios and case studies, including the Gulf War, the Falklands War, ‘Ground Zero’ in New York City and more conventional theatres of war through history, as well as cyber-terrorism, the role of military contractors and unmanned weapons systems.

An account of war ethics sensitive to the historical just war theory, informed by the contemporary concerns of war.

Modern conflicts now bear little relation to traditional wars between states. The threat of terrorism, the creation of new military technologies, the rise of private military companies, and the increasing involvement of the military in counter-terrorism and humanitarian operations all pose challenges to traditional ideas about the ethics of war, the relevance of current international law governing armed conflict, and Just War theory. How, then, should military ethics approach these new forms of conflict? Modern military ethics now includes work from disciplines as diverse as philosophy, history, sociology, international relations, politics, and psychology. This diversity of approaches suggests that the approach to contemporary military ethics that is best suited to understanding the wars of today is a broad multidisciplinary vision. By bringing together contributors from philosophy, international relations, security studies, and strategic studies, this volume offers just such an interdisciplinary analysis. The chapters in this volume explore the ethical issues posed by recent developments in both the nature and conduct of war, as well as focusing on the role and needs of modern military personnel. This comprehensive approach allows the reader to see the broad scope of modern military ethics, and to understand the numerous questions about modern conflict that require critical scrutiny. Aimed at both military and academic audiences, this volume will be of significant interest to researchers and students in philosophy, sociology, military and strategic studies, international relations, politics, and security studies.