War, Torture and Terrorism: Ethics and War in the 21st Century

The ethics of war is facing a profound and rapid transformation. 9/11 and the “war on terror” have led to many extraordinary changes both internationally and domestically. The rise of terrorism and “asymmetric war”, a trend towards preventive war, forcible regime change, detention without trail and even torture, have placed legal institutions and ethical concepts under more strain than they have faced in a generation. This collection of original essays represents the “state of the art” of this topical and contested field. Leading international scholars provide insightful and provocative analyses of some of the central moral problems of modern war, including: under what circumstances is intervention in another state justifiable? Is assassination a permissible tactic in war? Is there ever a justification for killing the innocent, engaging in terrorism, or conducting torture? This thought–provoking new book is accessible on many levels; as an excellent undergraduate teaching text, as required reading for scholars of military ethics and as an introduction for non–experts to the modern debate on the ethics of war.

Editorial Note: Suzanne Uniacke. 1. The Ethics of War: State of the Art: David Rodin. 2. Luck, Evidence and War: ROB LAWLOR. 3. Defending the Common Life: National–Defence After Rodin: Deane–Peter Baker. 4. Humanitarian Intervention: Closing the Gap Between Theory and Practice: Gillian Brock. 5. Iraq: A Morally Justified Resort to War: David Mellow. 6. Moral Tragedies, Supreme Emergencies and National–Defence: Daniel Statman. 7. Assassination and Targeted Killing: Law Enforcement, Execution or Self–Defence?: Michael L. Gross. 8. Torture — The Case for Dirty Harry and against Alan Dershowitz: Uwe Steinhoff. 9. Torture, Terrorism and the State: a Refutation of the Ticking–Bomb Argument: Vittorio Bufacchi and Jean Maria Arrigo. Index.

David Rodin holds research posts at the University of Oxford and the Australian National University and is a leading expert in the ethics of war. His previous books include The Ethics of War: Shared Problems in Different Traditions and War and Self–Defense (2006), which received the APA Sharp Prize. He has worked as a teacher and consultant for NATO, the European Science Foundation, UNESCO and the British Military.

“The authors took obvious care to set out their arguments in as clear a fashion as possible. They are not the kind of philosophers who populate indecipherably intricate sentences with legions of exotic terms. Rather, they practice the disciplined use of facts, ethical theories, legal literature, and even a degree of common sense to arrive at a better understanding of genuinely vital issues. War, Torture and Terrorism could easily be adapted for use in undergraduate philosophy courses. More importantly, it should be warmly welcomed by those members of the lay public who are interested in thinking beyond the limits of sound–bite rhetoric and five hundred word opeds.” ( Metapsychology , December 2008)