The Warrior, Military Ethics and Contemporary Warfare: Achilles Goes Asymmetrical

172 Pages·2016·0.83 MB·English

by  Pauline M. Kaurin

THE WARRIOR, MILITARY ETHICS AND CONTEMPORARY
WARFARE
Military and Defence Ethics
Series Editors
Don Carrick – Project Director of the Military Ethics Education Network based
in the Institute of Applied Ethics at the University of Hull, UK.
James Connelly – Professor of Politics and International Studies, Director of the
Institute of Applied Ethics, and Project Leader of the Military Ethics Education
Network at the University of Hull, UK.
Paul Robinson – Professor in Public and International Affairs at the University
of Ottawa, Canada.
George Lucas – Professor of Philosophy and Director of Navy and National
Programs in the Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership at the U.S. Naval
Academy, Annapolis MD, USA.
There is an urgent and growing need for all those involved in matters of national
defence – from policy makers to armaments manufacturers to members of the
armed forces – to behave, and to be seen to behave, ethically. The ethical
dimensions of making decisions and taking action in the defence arena are the
subject of intense and ongoing media interest and public scrutiny. It is vital that
all those involved be given the benefit of the finest possible advice and support.
Such advice is best sought from those who have great practical experience or
theoretical wisdom (or both) in their particular field and publication of their
work in this series will ensure that it is readily accessible to all who need it.
Also in the series
When Soldiers Say No
Selective Conscientious Objection in the Modern Military
Edited by Andrea Ellner, Paul Robinson and David Whetham ISBN 978-1-4724-
1214-0
From Northern Ireland to Afghanistan
British Military Intelligence Operations, Ethics and Human Rights
Jon Moran
ISBN 978-1-4094-2897-8
Military Medical Ethics for the 21st Century
Edited by Michael L. Gross and Don Carrick
ISBN 978-1-4094-3898-4
The Warrior, Military Ethics and
Contemporary Warfare
Achilles Goes Asymmetrical
PAULINE M. KAURIN
Pacific Lutheran University, USA
First published 2014 by Ashgate Publishing Published 2016 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA Routledge is an imprint of the
Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
Copyright © 2014 Pauline M. Kaurin
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publishers.
Pauline M. Kaurin has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.
Notice:
Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are
used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library The
Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
Kaurin, Pauline M.
The warrior, military ethics and contemporary warfare : Achilles goes
asymmetrical / by Pauline M. Kaurin.
pages cm – (Military and defence ethics) Includes bibliographical references
and index.
ISBN 978-1-40946536-2 (hardback) – ISBN 978-1-31555148-7 (ebook) –
ISBN 978-1-3170-1176-7 (epub) 1. Military ethics–United States. 2. War
(Philosophy) 3. Achilles (Greek mythology) 4. Irregular warfare–Moral and
ethical aspects–United States. I. Title.
U22.K39 2014
174’.935500973–dc23
2013050269
2013050269
ISBN 9781409465362 (hbk)
ISBN 9781315551487 (ebk)
Contents
Acknowledgments
1 Introduction
2 Courage
3 Loyalty
4 When Less is Not More: Expanding the Combatant/Non-Combatant
Distinction
5 War and Risk: Non-Lethal Weapons and Unmanned Warfare
6 Rules of Rescue: Jus in Bello and Humanitarian Intervention
7 Reshaping Achilles: Warrior Ethos and Identity
8 The Education of Achilles: Moral Education for Asymmetric Contexts
9 War Stories: Narrative and Teaching Case Studies
10 Navigating the Great Divide
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
This book would not have been possible without the work and support of many
people and organizations, to whom I owe deep gratitude and appreciation. This
book represents my scholarly work over the last 15 years and owes much to the
people and communities who have shaped that work.
First, I must credit the support of the International Society for Military Ethics
(ISME), and my bright, kind, and energetic colleagues who have supported and
commented on my work over the years. They are an incredible community and I
have been honored to be a part of their ranks. I especially owe gratitude to Fran
Harbour, Rebecca Johnson, Mark Maddox, George Lucas, Jr., James Cook,
Martin Cook, David Perry, William Rhodes, Davida Kellogg, Bradley Strawser,
Carlos Bertha, Michael Brough, Reuben Brigety, and many others who have
commented on and shaped my work and ideas.
Second, the work in this book was supported by my institutional home for
the last 15 years, Pacific Lutheran University and my colleagues in the
Philosophy Department and across the university. I benefitted from the Kelmer
Roe Fellowship in the Humanities for the chapter on Non-Lethal Weapons and
my student, Calvin Moore, whom I worked with and was the inspiration and
support for developing those ideas. I also benefitted from the George Arbaugh
Endowment in the Department of Philosophy and PLU’s generous sabbatical
program for supporting the work on this book in 2011–12, and for funding travel
to the US Naval Academy and the US Military Academy during that year. Most
of all, I thank my students who, as always, ask wonderful questions and
challenge me as a professor and a scholar. My Experience of War, Military
Ethics, First Year Writing Seminar, Capstone and Philosophical Issues in the
Law courses have been fertile breeding and testing ground for my ideas and
arguments; they are better for having been engaged first by my students.
Third, I thank colleagues at the US Naval Academy and US Military
Academy, especially Bradley Strawser, Edward Barrett, Michael Skerker, Chris
Mayer, and David Barnes, who hosted me during my visits in the Fall of 2011.
They were all wonderful hosts and I thank them for their hospitality and
collegiality. I would also like to thank George Lucas Jr., Al Pierce and the US
Naval Academy who hosted a NEH Faculty Seminar at Annapolis in the
Summer of 2004; they assembled an impressive group of colleagues and gave us
all a tremendous experience of discussion and deep reflection that has been the
all a tremendous experience of discussion and deep reflection that has been the
springboard for many of the ideas in this book.
Fourth, during the year that I wrote and edited the book I was supported by
an incredible array of people, military and civilian, in the Twitter community
who gave moral support and engaged me in discussion and critique. Many of the
ideas here are better for the engagement of these people, they gave me endless
moral support and I heartily thank them. I especially thank my brother, Samuel
T. Shanks @profshanks for keeping my spirits up and being a great cheerleader,
as always.
Fifth, I thank SUNY Press and Journal of Military Ethics for their
permission to reprint previously published material in Chapters 4 and 5.
Sixth, I am grateful for Ashgate Press, its reviewers, editors and staff for
their confidence in this project, their professionalism and all their hard work to
see this work from proposal to completion. I could not have asked for a better
experience as a writer and scholar.
Finally, and most importantly, this book would not have been possible
without the tireless love and support of, Gregory and my sons McClellan and
Trevan, who made countless sacrifices so I could do this project. Thank you.
To Every Achilles and Hector—
Past, Present and Future