Реферат: The Ethics Of War Essay Research Paper
that could not defend itself against the hostile attack.
Connery also discusses the amount and type of force that is
permissible. He says, “In a defensive war, only proportional responses are
permissible to answer aggression. An exception is possible if the enemy is
extraordinarily well-armed and likely to use dis-proportionate force. For
instance, if my enemy were in possession of nuclear bombs which I had good
reason to believe he would use, it would be suicidal for me to choose the
more leisurely precision bombing.” This means that if the situation could be
resolved with a limited display of military force, then it is not necessary or
permissible to exceed this level of aggression in the attack. However, if the
enemy you are facing has superior weapons or is willing to use devastating
force against you, then you are permitted to use whatever actions necessary to
resolve the situation and save your own country.
The majority of Connery’s argument focuses on the morality of waging
indiscriminate warfare on non-combatants, i.e. non-soldiers, civilians. In his
article he says:
Moralists agree that the noncombatant may not be the direct target of
any destructive weapon, large or small. This means that one may
neither deliberately aim his attack at noncombatants nor drop bombs
without distinction on combatants and noncombatants alike. Such
bombing would be contrary to sound moral principles, even if
resorted to only in retaliation.
But granted a sufficiently important military target which could not
be safely eliminated by any less drastic means, nuclear bombing
would be morally justified, even if it involved the resultant loss of a
large segment of the civilian population. It is presumed, of course,
that the good to be achieved is at least equal to the expected damages.
I would tend to agree with this argument, that it would be morally permissible
to bomb civilians as long as the end justifies the means. But what justifies the