Includes index. Whetham, D. (Ed.). (2011). Ethics, law, and military operations. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.

Introduction: purpose, content and structure -- Ethics, law and conflict -- Introduction -- What tools are available? -- The relativist challenge -- The asymmetric challenge -- Can the rules be override? -- Conclusion -- A view from realism -- Introduction -- Introduction -- Realism -- The duality of war -- The conduct of war: strategy -- The conduct of war: respecting the nature of war -- The conduct of war: victory and coercion -- Strategic necessity -- Realism and the refinement of war -- Conclusion -- A nonviolent challenge to conflict -- Introduction -- Types of non-violence -- The spiral of violence -- Atrophy of the soul -- The spectrum of socially expressed power -- Spiritual dynamics of non-violence -- War, religion and non-violence -- Case studies on non-violence -- Pashtun resistance to the British Raj, 1930s -- Norway, 1942, and Berlin, 1943 -- Biafra, 1967-70 -- Conclusion -- The just war tradition: a pragmatic compromise -- Introduction -- How did it develop? -- A pragmatic compromise -- How has the just war tradition developed? -- Contemporary just war categories: jus ad bellum, jus in bello and jus post bellum -- Jus ad bellum: just cause -- Jus ad bellum: right intention -- Jus ad bellum: legitimate authority -- Jus ad bellum: a goal that is proportional to the offence -- Jus ad bellum: reasonable prospect of success -- Jus ad bellum: last resort -- Jus in bello: discrimination -- Jus in bello: proportionality -- The doctrine of double effect -- Jus post bellum -- Conclusion -- War law and its intersections -- Introduction: law's bedfellows -- Law's pervasiveness and relevance -- International law on the use of force -- Jus ad bellum -- Jus ad bello -- Conclusion -- Law at the operational level -- Introduction -- Background -- The contemporary operating environment -- Command and control: the relationship between politics and the military -- Command and control: the strategic corporal -- Rules of engagement -- Command and control: accountability -- Targeting -- Combatants and noncombatants -- Captured persons -- Private security companies -- Journalism and the media -- Multinational operations -- Interrogation and tactical questioning -- Conclusions -- Civilian protection and force protection -- Military necessity -- Discrimination and proportionality -- The ethical challenges of a complex security environment -- Introduction -- Seven factors putting moral considerations of humanity under pressure -- Moral integrity -- Understanding atrocities: what commanders can do to prevent them -- Introduction -- Categories of atrocity -- Atrocity by situation -- Atrocity by situation and military system -- Atrocity by situation: the leader's trap -- To whom does a military medical commander owe a moral duty? -- Introduction The duties of a doctor -- The duties of an officer -- Moral duty and the medical officer -- Inferences -- Conclusions -- The ethics of nuclear deterrence -- Introduction -- Deterrence: nuclear and conventional -- The consequentialist case -- Just war and nuclear deterrence -- The deontological argument -- A moral conflict -- The ethical and legal challenges of operational command -- Implications for fielded forces -- Jus as bellum: going to war -- Challenges of the contemporary environment -- Jus in bello: beyond the line of departure: fighting the battle -- Targeting: a national responsibility -- Handling of detainees -- The critical role of tactical commanders -- Delegation and trust -- Grey areas -- Conclusion

Public anger at perceived ethical and legal failures in recent wars has reinforced the importance of understanding military ethics. Ethics, Law and Military Operations is one of the first texts to examine both the ethical and the legal considerations of contemporary military conflict. It adopts a practical approach to explore the ways in which legal and normative issues combine to affect the entire spectrum of military operations, from high-intensity conflict to peacekeeping activities and the provision of humanitarian aid. With an operational perspective in mind, this text delivers accessible frameworks for evaluating and applying fundamental legal and ethical concepts. Written by an international team of military practitioners and academics, this book provides interdisciplinary insights into the major issues facing military decision-makers. The first half of the book explores the ethical and legal underpinnings of warfare. Later chapters use case studies to examine specific issues in the contemporary operating environment. - From the Book