Ethics in Asymmetrical War

Mervyn  Frost

doi:10.1093/oso/9780190851163.001.0001

Ethics in Asymmetrical War

Mervyn Frost

War Studies

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review

Abstract

This chapter extends the analysis of strategy and international security in the twenty-first century, and the ethical problems Western liberal polities face in managing international security and confronting enemies in asymmetric warfare. It focuses on the notion of ‘ethical leverage’; this is a world in which power is levered through ‘ethical criticism.’ Wherever a Western liberal actor can be portrayed as acting in a manner inconsistent with its own standards, it will be damaged strategically. There are things that states and individuals ought not to do if they wish to maintain their ethical standing and the associated influence and power that go with it. It is the flouting of the West’s international norms that provides the only source of international power for the weaker party in such wars. This conjunction of strategy and ethics epitomizes the balance between power and both ethics and social construction found in Freedman.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Freedman on Strategy
Subtitle of host publication	The Art of Creating Power
Editors	Benedict Wilkinson, James Gow
Place of Publication	London
Publisher	Hurst and Co
Chapter	5
Pages	85-96
Number of pages	11
ISBN (Print)	9781849045810
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190851163.001.0001
Publication status	Published - 1 Jun 2017

Keywords

Strategy
War
Lawrence Freedman

Access to Document

10.1093/oso/9780190851163.001.0001

1 Book

The Art of Creating Power: Freedman on Strategy
Wilkinson, B. J. & Gow, A. J. W., 27 Apr 2017, London: Hurst and Co. 504 p.
Research output: Book/Report › Book › peer-review

Cite this

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title = "Ethics in Asymmetrical War",

abstract = "This chapter extends the analysis of strategy and international security in the twenty-first century, and the ethical problems Western liberal polities face in managing international security and confronting enemies in asymmetric warfare. It focuses on the notion of {\textquoteleft}ethical leverage{\textquoteright}; this is a world in which power is levered through {\textquoteleft}ethical criticism.{\textquoteright} Wherever a Western liberal actor can be portrayed as acting in a manner inconsistent with its own standards, it will be damaged strategically. There are things that states and individuals ought not to do if they wish to maintain their ethical standing and the associated influence and power that go with it. It is the flouting of the West{\textquoteright}s international norms that provides the only source of international power for the weaker party in such wars. This conjunction of strategy and ethics epitomizes the balance between power and both ethics and social construction found in Freedman.",

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AB - This chapter extends the analysis of strategy and international security in the twenty-first century, and the ethical problems Western liberal polities face in managing international security and confronting enemies in asymmetric warfare. It focuses on the notion of ‘ethical leverage’; this is a world in which power is levered through ‘ethical criticism.’ Wherever a Western liberal actor can be portrayed as acting in a manner inconsistent with its own standards, it will be damaged strategically. There are things that states and individuals ought not to do if they wish to maintain their ethical standing and the associated influence and power that go with it. It is the flouting of the West’s international norms that provides the only source of international power for the weaker party in such wars. This conjunction of strategy and ethics epitomizes the balance between power and both ethics and social construction found in Freedman.

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KW - War

KW - Lawrence Freedman

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BT - Freedman on Strategy

A2 - Wilkinson, Benedict

A2 - Gow, James

PB - Hurst and Co

CY - London

ER -

Ethics in Asymmetrical War

Abstract

Keywords

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Research output

The Art of Creating Power: Freedman on Strategy

Cite this