The war on the ground and in the air over Kuwait and Iraq was not the only Gulf War being fought in early 1990. George Bush and Saddam Hussein were also battling for public opinion and for the perception of legitimacy for their actions. In this effort, both men as well as their spokespersons appealed to the just war theory of their religious traditions. In this perceptive and wide-ranging book, Kenneth Vaux elucidates the great just war traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, evaluating the key events of the war in light of the religious rhetoric used by both sides. From the first stirrings of conflict to its uncertain aftermath, religious and ethical traditions played a major role in winning support not just for the U.S. and Iraqi peoples but of public opinion worldwide. Throughout Vaux demonstrates the wide gaps between religious rhetoric and the political-military action it has been called on to support. Ethics and the Gulf War is not a typical ethical treatise; Vaux understands ethical reflection to encompass history, philosophy, psychology, ecology, theology, and eschatology. His book is a valuable contribution to the understanding of the Gulf War, and it is fascinating for scholars and laypersons coming to this subject from almost any area of interest.

Richard Norman looks at issues concerning the justification for war and thereby examines the possibility and nature of rational moral argument.

This book explores questions regarding the justice of war and addresses the lack of comparative perspectives on the ethics of war, particularly with respect to Islam. Focusing on the role of Islamic symbols in the rhetoric of Saddam Hussein, Kelsay provides an overview of the Islamic tradition regarding war and peace, and investigates the notion of religion as a just cause for war.

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.

From September 1990 to June 1991, the UK deployed 53,462 military personnel in the Gulf War. After the end of the conflict anecdotal reports of various disorders affecting troops who fought in the Gulf began to surface. This mysterious illness was given the name “Gulf War Syndrome” (GWS). This book is an investigation into this recently emergent illness, particularly relevant given ongoing UK deployments to Iraq, describing how the illness became a potent symbol for a plethora of issues, anxieties, and concerns. At present, the debate about GWS is polarized along two lines: there are those who think it is a unique, organic condition caused by Gulf War toxins and those who argue that it is probably a psychological condition that can be seen as part of a larger group of illnesses. Using the methods and perspective of anthropology, with its focus on nuances and subtleties, the author provides a new approach to understanding GWS, one that makes sense of the cultural circumstances, specific and general, which gave rise to the illness.

A fourth edition of this book is now available. Now in a comprehensively revised and updated edition, this text cogently demonstrates that moral values and ethical reasoning are indispensable in global politics. Mark R. Amstutz explores two distinct dimensions of international political morality: the role of moral norms in foreign affairs and the ethical foundation of the rules and structures of global society. The author considers important conceptual and philosophical challenges posed by the plurality of values in the international community, but his primary goal is to describe and assess the nature, role, and impact of international political morality on international relations. Through the use of balanced arguments and a wide-ranging selection of case studies, Amstutz illustrates the place of moral norms in international relations. He presents the concepts, theories, methods, and traditions of ethical analysis and then applies them to case studies in the areas of political reconciliation, human rights, war, unconventional military operations, foreign intervention, economic sanctions, justice among states, and global justice. His clearly written study will be of special interest to students and practitioners of international affairs who are concerned with the role of political morality and ethical judgment in global affairs.