Humane warfare / Christopher Coker.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Coker, Christopher.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

War.

World politics--1989-.

World politics.

War--Moral and ethical aspects.

Physical Description:

vi, 170 pages ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Routledge, 2001.

Summary:

The decision to fight 'humanitarian wars' -- such as Kosovo -- and the development of technology to make war more humane, illustrates the trend in the West to try to humanise war, and thereby humanise modernity. This highly controversial and cutting-edge book asks whether the attempt to make war 'virtual' or 'virtuous' can succeed and whether the West is deluding itself (not its enemies) in thinking that war can ever be made more humane.

Christopher Coker's radical conclusion is that western humanitarian warfare is in fact an endgame as other non-western societies will make sure it does not succeed. Eminently readable, this book combines theory with accounts by politicians and serving military personnel, alongside illuminating literary insights. It will be vital reading for all those interested in intermational relations and strategic studies and defence issues, including journalists, students and politicians.

Contents:

1 Humanising war 7

Surfing the Zeitgeist 7

Irony and war 11

Humanising modernity 15

Humanising war 17

2 War and the renunciation of cruelty 24

The American Century and the will to power 25

Vietnam: the end of America's will to power 30

Into the slaughterhouse 36

Judith Shklar and cruelty 40

3 The redundancy of courage 44

Machiavelli and the virtuous state 44

Hegel and war as a vocation 46

Nietzsche and the masses as a military caste 47

The end of the virtuous state 50

The risk society 51

Risk-aversive war 56

Stress-free war 61

4 War without hatred 67

Why no enemies? 69

Post-materialist war 78

Uncivil society 81

The feminisation of society 83

Non-lethal warfare 88

5 The humane warrior 91

Counter-culture 92

Post-military society 93

Post-traditional military 96

The feminisation of the military 103

6 Zoning the planet 111

Keeping the peace 112

An insecure world 115

The humanitarian military ethos 117

Humanitarian imperialism 125

Humanitarian war and the loss of metaphysics 126

7 Humane war and the moral imagination 131

Lin Yutang and humanised thinking 131

Richard Rorty and the end of metaphysics 133

History as a metaphysical principle 134

War and sacrifice in an ironic world 142

Humanism and war 146

Humanity and war 147

Humanitarian wars 148.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [152]-164) and index.

ISBN:

0415255759

0415255767

OCLC:

45917091