We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website. By continuing to use our website, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Find out more
Instructor inspection copy request

E-book purchase
Choose a subscription

Downloaded copy on your device does not expire. Includes 4 years of Bookshelf Online.

close

Where applicable, tax will be added to the above price prior to payment.

E-book purchasing help

E-book purchase

E-books are granted under the terms of a single-user, non-transferable license, and may be accessed online from any location.

Contact information
E: Contact Us

Cover

Military Ethics

An Introduction with Case Studies

Stephen Coleman

Publication Date - July 2012

ISBN: 9780199846290

320 pages
Paperback
6-1/2 x 9-1/4 inches

In Stock

This truly introductory textbook on military ethics uses case studies to engage students in real-world issues

Description

Military Ethics: An Introduction with Case Studies provides an accessible introduction to the ethical issues faced by today's junior and mid-ranking military personnel. Offering an exceptionally practical perspective, it includes more than fifty engaging case studies--personal, historical, and fictional accounts--that give students a bird's-eye view of various real-world ethical dilemmas. Opening with an introduction to ethics and an overview of ethical theory, the book goes on to discuss ethical problems related to: the use and misuse of power and authority; discrimination and proportionality in traditional conflicts, irregular wars, and humanitarian military interventions; supreme emergency, terrorism, and responses to terrorism; and much more.

Military Ethics is enhanced by suggestions for further reading, an abbreviation key, an extensive bibliography, and an appendix including a list of the international treaties that make up the Law of Armed Conflict. A companion website at www.oup.com/us/coleman features lecture notes, additional case studies, and discussion questions.

Reviews

"I am quite excited about the possibility of using this book in the classroom. The case studies are one of the great glories of the book. They are judiciously chosen and thoughtfully and clearly presented. I would expect them to be extremely helpful in the classroom."--Richard D. Schoonhoven, United States Military Academy, West Point

"Military Ethics addresses a critical need in the pedagogical literature. By far the greatest advance is Coleman's approach to 'problem-based learning.' Each chapter begins with a range of short but engaging case studies that pose dilemmas of unquestionable significance and relevance for a military reader in any cultural setting."--George R. Lucas, Stockdale Center for Ethics and Leadership, U.S. Naval Academy

"The book is extremely thorough and well organized. The case studies are well chosen, illustrative, pertinent, and current."--Eric A. Heinze, University of Oklahoma

"This is a superb book that covers a wide range of issues. Cleverly designed, it will act as a first-class teaching tool that will generate classroom discussion. It should work superbly as a general-purpose text for all of us interested in military ethics."--Cian O'Driscoll, University of Glasgow

Table of Contents

    Each chapter ends with Notes, Further Reading, and Discussion Questions.
    Preface
    List of Abbreviations
    1. INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS ETHICS? WHAT IS AN ETHICAL DECISION?
    What Is Ethics and Why Should I Study It?
    Law and Ethics
    Ethical Dilemmas and Tests of Lntegrity
    2. ETHICAL THEORY: AN OVERVIEW
    Case Study 2.1: The Runaway Railway Car
    Case Study 2.2: The Spare Parts Surgeon
    Ethical Considerations
    Theories of Value and Theories of Ethics
    Ethical Theory: Consequences
    Case Study 2.3: First Use of the Atomic Bomb
    Criticizing Consequentialism
    Ethical Theory: Principles and Duties
    Case Study 2.4: Shooting the Downed Pilot
    Criticizing Deontology
    Ethical Theory: Character
    Case Study 2.5: Marines Don't Do That
    Is Ethics Simply Relative?
    Integrating Theories of Ethics
    3. PROFESSIONAL ETHICS, DUTIES, AND OBLIGATIONS
    Case Study 3.1: The HMAS Westralia Fire
    Discussion
    The Profession of Arms
    Role Morality
    Military Values and Military Virtue
    Case Study 3.2: Leave No One Behind
    Case Study 3.3: The Training Course
    The Triangular Balance
    Case Study 3.4: Military Dispute over Casualties in Afghanistan
    Case Study 3.5: Esequiel Hernandez Shooting
    4. JUST WAR THEORY: TRADITIONAL ISSUES OF JUS AD BELLUM
    Case Study 4.1: The 1991 Gulf War
    Case Study 4.2: The 2003 Invasion of Iraq
    Discussion
    Alternative Theories on War
    Pacifism
    Realism
    A Very Brief History of Just War Theory
    Ethics and International Law
    Implementing the Principles of Jus Ad Bellum
    Case Study 4.3: The Korean War
    Case Study 4.4: The Six Day War
    Case Study 4.5: Israeli Attack on Iraq's Osirak Nuclear Reactor
    Case Study 4.6: The Falklands War
    Assessing the Two Gulf Wars
    5. JUST WAR THEORY: MODERN ISSUES OF JUS AD BELLUM: HUMANITARIAN INTERVENTION, INSURGENCY, AND COUNTERINSURGENCY
    Case Study 5.1: Operation Cast Lead
    Case Study 5.2: The 1999 NATO Intervention in Support of Kosovo
    Discussion
    Of Countries, States, and Nations
    The Basics of Jus Ad Bellum and Insurgency
    Case Study 5.3: The Fight Against Apartheid
    Jus Ad Bellum and Difficult Insurgency Cases
    Jus Ad Bellum and Counterinsurgency
    Case Study 5.4: Israel, Uganda, and the Entebbe Incident
    Justification for Humanitarian Intervention
    Case Study 5.5: The Rwandan Genocide
    Case Study 5.6: Intervention in East Timor
    Responsibility to Protect
    6. POWER AND AUTHORITY: ISSUING AND FOLLOWING ORDERS
    Case Study 6.1: Ehren Watada and Iraq
    Case Study 6.2: Marine Advance on Baghdad
    Discussion
    Considering Authority
    Case Study 6.3: Wearing Body Armor in Afghanistan
    Case Study 6.4: The Logistics Officer's Problem
    The Ethical Problems of Orders
    Case Study 6.5: Orders to HMS Alacrity
    Case Study 6.6: Placing the Strobe
    Case Study 6.7: Come Right!
    Case Study 6.8: Reinterpreting Orders
    7. DISCRIMINATION AND PROPORTIONALITY I: TRADITIONAL ISSUES OF JUS IN BELLO
    Case Study 7.1: Airpower and Marine Assault
    Discussion
    Discrimination
    The Ethical Permissibility of Targeting Combatants
    The Principle of Noncombatant Immunity
    Case Study 7.2: The Incident at the Fallujah Mosque
    Proportionality
    Case Study 7.3: Sinking of the General Belgrano
    Case Study 7.4: The Dam Busters Raid
    Modern Assessment of Collateral Damage
    Case Study 7.5: Conviction of Milan Martic?
    Summary
    8. DISCRIMINATION AND PROPORTIONALITY II: JUS IN BELLO IN IRREGULAR WARS
    Case Study 8.1: Casualties in the 2008-2009 Gaza War
    Discussion
    Discrimination in Irregular Wars
    Case Study 8.2: Defending the Crashed Helicopter
    Rules of Engagement and Civilian Casualties in Irregular Wars
    Case Study 8.3: Assault on a Taliban Compound
    Difficult Cases of Discrimination in Irregular Wars
    Case Study 8.4: Israel and Targeted Killing
    Proportionality in Irregular Wars
    9. DISCRIMINATION AND PROPORTIONALITY III: JUS IN BELLO IN HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS
    Case Study 9.1: NATO Attacks and Dual-Use Targets
    Discussion
    Jus In Bello in Armed Humanitarian Operations
    Dual-Use Targets
    Peacekeeping or Peacemaking?
    Case Study 9.2: Protecting Civilians by Endangering Troops
    Case Study 9.3: The Baby Ram
    Case Study 9.4: The Child Soldier
    Case Study 9.5: Moscow Theatre Siege
    10. ISSUES OF SURRENDER AND DETENTION
    Case Study 10.1: Operation Red Wings
    Discussion
    Surrender
    Case Study 10.2: White Flags in Desert Storm
    Case Study 10.3: After the Battle
    Prisoners of War
    Case Study 10.4: The Sniper and the Murderer
    11. SUPREME EMERGENCY, TERRORISM, AND TORTURE
    Case Study 11.1: The Petraeus Letter to the Troops
    Discussion
    Supreme Emergency
    Case Study 11.2: The Decision to Bomb German Cities
    Supreme Emergency and Terrorism in the Modern World
    Supreme Emergency and Counterterrorism in the Modern World
    Case Study 11.3: The Ticking Bomb in Paris
    Case Study 11.4: The Ticking Bomb in Sri Lanka
    12. CONCLUSION
    Competence and the Professional
    The Unlimited Liability Contract
    Of Warriors and Murderers
    Knowing and Doing
    Appendix: The Laws of Armed Conflict
    Bibliography
    Index