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.

DAVID WHETHAM is Senior Lecturer in Defence Studies, King's College London, UK.

Introduction Purpose Content and Structure
Ethics, Law and Military Operations
A View From Realism
A Nonviolent Challenge to Conflict
The Just War Tradition A Pragmatic Compromise
War Law and its Intersections
Law at the Operational Level
Civilian Protection and Force Protection
The Ethical Challenge of the Complex Security Environment
Understanding Atrocities: What Commanders Should do to Prevent Them
To Whom Does a Military Medical Commander Owe a Moral Duty?
The Ethics of Nuclear Deterrence
The Ethical and Legal Challenges of Operational Command.