War, Torture and Terrorism: Ethics and War in the 21st Century

The ethics of war is facing a profound and rapid transformation. 9/11 and the “war on terror” have led to many extraordinary changes both internationally and domestically. The rise of terrorism and “asymmetric war”, a trend towards preventive war, forcible regime change, detention without trail and even torture, have placed legal institutions and ethical concepts under more strain than they have faced in a generation.

This collection of original essays represents the “state of the art” of this topical and contested field. Leading international scholars provide insightful and provocative analyses of some of the central moral problems of modern war, including: under what circumstances is intervention in another state justifiable? Is assassination a permissible tactic in war? Is there ever a justification for killing the innocent, engaging in terrorism, or conducting torture?

This thought-provoking new book is accessible on many levels; as an excellent undergraduate teaching text, as required reading for scholars of military ethics and as an introduction for non-experts to the modern debate on the ethics of war.