1st Edition
Contemporary Technologies and the Morality of Warfare The War of the Machines
Supported by genuine historical cases, this book argues that certain new technologies in warfare can not only be justified within the current framework of the just war theory, but that their use is mandatory from a moral perspective.
Technological developments raise questions about the manner in which wars ought to be fought. The growing use of drones, capacity-increasing technologies, and cyberattacks are perceived by many as posing great challenges to Just War Theory. Instead of seeing these technologies as inherently unethical, this book adopts a different perspective by arguing that they are morally necessary since they can limit the potential violations of the moral rules of war and ensure that militaries better respect their obligation to protect their members. Caron’s research offers insights into how and under what conditions autonomous or semi-autonomous robots, artificial intelligence, cyberwarfare, and capacityincreasing technologies can be considered as legitimate weapons.
This book will be of interest to students, members of the armed forces, and scholars studying Politics, International Relations, Security Studies, Ethics, and Just War Theory.
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Nature of Current Military Technological Innovations
Capacity-Increasing Technologies
Semi-Autonomous and Autonomous Technologies
Cyberwarfare
Chapter 2: Technologies and the Military’s Duty of Care
The Military as a Profession
The Military Profession and the Duty of Care
Military Technologies and the Duty of Care
Chapter 3: The Use of Military Technologies as a Way to Increase Morality
The USS Vincennes and the Downing of Iran Air Flight 655
The 1994 Black Hawk Shootdown Incident in Northern Iraq
The My Lai and Haditha Massacres
Military Technologies and the Control of Human Emotions
Chapter 4: Military Technologies, Respect for the Rules of Warfare, and Legal Accountability
The Question of Misused Technologies
Technologies and Individual Responsibilities
How Technologies Involving Human Beings Ought to be Tested
Chapter 5: The Morality of Killing
The Ethics of Killing in War
Contemporary Military Technologies and the Ethics of Killing in War: An Assessment
Chapter 6: Technologies and the Enhanced Risk of Warfare
The Correlation Between Military Power and the Risk of War
Military Technologies and the Prospect of Jus ad Vim
Conclusion
Biography
Jean-François Caron is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan, where he teaches Political Theory. He is also a teaching and a research fellow at the Institute of Political Science and Administration at the University of Opole, Poland.
