ch 8 - the ethics of irregular war

irregular wars involve

insurgency and counterinsurgency

insurgency

guerrilla warfare, by irregular forces and illegal organizations seeking to topple an existing regime

counterinsurgency

govt effort to combat guerrilla activity, goal is to consolidate govt authority

differences of terrorism and war

1) terrorist makes no distinction between combatants/noncombatants

2) terrorism is violence perpetuated by nongovernmental agents

3) terrorism is psychological warfare - random and fear-mongering

terrorism during vs after cold war

new:

- more violent

- transnational in scope/purpose

-> old's goal was to undermine western societies, new's goal is to create new political order in world

- better organized/financed

- greater access to lethal force (WMDs, technology)

combatting terrorism involves

two pronged strategy:

- defensive - antiterrorism

- offensive - counterterrorism

antiterrorism (defensive)

establish structures to reduce society's vulnerability to terror

counterterrorism (offensive)

attack, weaken, destroy terrorist orgs

case study on coercive interrogation

us war on terrorism

ethics of coercive interrogation

torture is immoral and illegal. considered morally unacceptable in most instances and problematic in exceptional circumstances. goal is ethically legitimate, but not means. information gained is also unreliable. is also done at peril of democracy

targeted killing

only allowed during wartime on military targets

case study on targeted killing

targeted killing with drones

ethics of targeted killing with drones

2 issues

1) justice of drones in armed conflict

2) justice of TK against militant terrorists

drone tk ethics

- weapon's capacity to discriminate

- minimize collateral damage

- psychological impact

- symmetrical military capabilities

when is TK morally permissible?

- capturing is impossible

- last resort

- minimizing collateral damage

"Iraq: The Case Against Preemptive War" by Schroeder

1. strategic and practical risks

2. preemptive war is unjustified, dangerous (no evidence for iraq)

3. harms US alliances/leadership

4. violation of int law/norms (sovereignty)

5. alternate strats to contain iraq (deterrence/sanctions)

"An Unnecessary War" by Mearsheimer & Walt

1. saddam hussein was not a serial aggressor

2. saddam could be deterred

3. no real connection between saddam and al-qaeda

4. war would destabilize region

"The Right War for the Right Reasons" by Kagan & Kristol

1. the moral case - libration of iraq

2. saddam = threat to regional stability

3. saddam's WMD programs were a serious concern

4. war strengthened US/global security

5. democratization in iraq could transform middle east