THE ETHICS OF WAR

27-03-2024

Context

Numerous ethical issues are brought up by the recent hostilities between Israel and Hamas and Russia and Ukraine as well as the ongoing social media articles and pictures depicting the horrors of war

What are the Ethical concerns that arise in war?

Concerns	Illustration
Reduction to Right side vs. wrong side	Trying to make sense of violence and conflict frequently boils down to deciding who is right and who is wrong.
Punishment and revenge	Retaliation and punishment-based justifications are frequently accepted in war as a moral way to right a mistake.
Degradation of Human beings	Treating Humans as tools to achieve the objectives of war
Individual vs. collective identity	Recent conflicts such as the Israel-Palestine war reveals that people don’t see individuals as they are and see them only in terms of a collective identity

Ethical framework to resolve these concerns:

Just War Theory:

Just war theory given by Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas, is an ethical framework that is used to decide whether it is appropriate to go to war.
Christian philosophy:

The just war theory which is a Christian philosophy attempts to reconcile three things:

Taking human life is seriously wrong
States have a duty to defend their citizens, and defend justice
Protecting innocent human life and defending important moral values sometimes requires willingness to use force and violence

Elements in the Theory:

Elements in the theory

Conditions required

Jus ad bellum

This tests decision by applying principles related to just cause, right intention, legitimate authority, proportionality

Jus in bello

The ethical principles here are related to Discrimination, Proportionality

Purpose of the theory include:

Providing a guide to the right way for states to act in potential conflict situations.
Providing a useful framework for individuals and political groups to use for their discussions of possible wars.
Theory is not intended to justify wars but to prevent them, by showing that going to war except in certain limited circumstances is
Motivating states to find other ways of resolving conflicts.

Challenges in the implementation of these ethical ideas:

Challenges	About
Involvement of Non-State Actors	Terrorist organisations or insurgent groups, are frequently not subject to the same moral and legal restrictions as state actors, and their activities may regularly transgress just war norms.
Ignorance of Distinction principle	Contrary to the concept of discrimination, which calls for a definite separation between combatants and non-combatants, civilians frequently end up as unintentional victims of armed conflicts.
Technological Advancements and the principle of proportionality	The employment of cutting-edge military technology, such precision-guided missiles and drones, presents concerns of discrimination and proportionality
Limited Global Governance	Treaties, agreements, and international organizations are frequently necessary for the application of just war principles. These mechanisms' efficacy is frequently questioned.

How to resolve these challenges:

Resolution of challenges	Illustration
Strengthening International Cooperation and Institutions	Strengthen and enforce international agreements that govern the conduct of war, such as the Geneva Conventions.
Advocacy for stricter Arms control and disarmament	Limiting the use of weapons that can cause disproportionate harm to civilians.
Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution	Investing in diplomatic and peacebuilding efforts such as addressing the root causes of conflicts, promoting dialogue, and facilitating negotiations
Code of Conduct	On the basis of agreement on war ethics, state armies may be subject to an enforceable code of conduct.
Human rights monitoring	Boost the capacity of human rights monitoring systems to record and communicate abuses that occur during armed situations.

Quote in the topic:

“There is nothing that war has ever achieved that we could not better achieve without it. ‎All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on” - H. Havelock Ellis