Dying for `Enduring Freedom
Accepting Responsibility for Civilian Casualties in the War against Terrorism
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4444306 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nicholas J Wheeler (University of Wales, Aberystwyth, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2002 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 205-225 |
| Publication date | 2002-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Relations (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0047-1178 • E-ISSN: 1741-2862 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0047117802016002003 |
| OpenAlex | W2085552847 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 26 |
This article examines what moral theories are available to justify the harming of the innocent in war. Focusing on US conduct of the war against the Taliban and al-Qaeda, the article examines how far the US is responsible for the deaths of Afghan civilians. Although US actions have been justified in terms of respect for the Just War principle of non-combatant immunity, the article shows how this principle rested uneasily with alternative moral theories of war that influenced the process of target selection. These are the realist doctrine of necessity in war and Michael Walzer's theories of `supreme emergency' and `war is hell'. Just War theory, realism and `supreme emergency' acknowledge moral responsibility for a state's conduct of war. But the doctrine that `war is hell' seeks to transfer any responsibility for the cruelty of war to the enemy. The article argues that, whilst the Taliban and al-Qaeda are responsible for exposing Afghan civilians to US attacks, this does not absolve US political and military leaders of responsibility for their conduct of the war
Adversary · Afghan · Asymmetric warfare · Cruelty · Doctrine · Human rights · International law · Just war theory · Moral responsibility · Political science · Sociology · Spanish Civil War · Terrorism · Torture · War crime · Global Peace and Security Dynamics · Law · Torture, Ethics, and Law · War, Ethics, and Justification
Security, Democracy, and the Rhetoric of Counter-Terrorism
Norbert Elias, The 'Civilizing Process' and the Sociology of International Relations
Ordem e Justiça na sociedade internacional pós-11 de Setembro
Just War or Ethical Peace? Moral Discourses of Strategic Violence After 9/11
Expanding Responsibility for the Just War
Critical Theory and World Politics
The English School of International Relations
Modern Lawfare
Aversion, Acceptance, or Apprehension? The Effects of Gender on US Public Opinion Concerning US-Inflicted Civilian Casualties
When harm becomes a dilemma
Fighting together? understanding bilateral cooperation in the realm of counterterrorism
Potential Lives, Impossible Deaths
Why Just War Needs Feminism Now More Than Ever
Ac)Counting (for) their dead
Killing Civilians
Humanitarian Intervention and the Three Traditions
The Responsibility To Protect and the Crisis in Darfur
The Tactical Payment Scheme
Friend or foe? Evidence that anxious people are better at distinguishing targets from non‐targets
Targeting and Contemporary Aerial Bombardment
The Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Contemporary Conflict
Human or not? Political rhetoric and foreign policy attitudes
Language and Civilian Deaths
Targeting
US warfare in Somalia and the trade-off between casualty-aversion and civilian protection
Democratic distinctiveness, responsibility, and the politics of ethics in justifications of war
| Unique citing works | 26 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2000 - 2026 (27) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 22 |