Medicine, Conflict and Survival

ISSN: 1362-3699 (Print) 1743-9396 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/fmcs20

The warrior, military ethics and contemporary warfare: Achilles goes symmetrical Marion Birch To cite this article: Marion Birch (2015) The warrior, military ethics and contemporary warfare: Achilles goes symmetrical, Medicine, Conflict and Survival, 31:2, 136-137, DOI: 10.1080/13623699.2015.1032579 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13623699.2015.1032579

Published online: 27 Apr 2015.

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Date: 06 November 2015, At: 04:53

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Book reviews

challenges of Africa, how these are being addressed and the problems of evolving a new and integrative system of aid and healthcare reform within the constraints of the established regimes in the different countries, and the continuing constraints of ‘third world’ economies.

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Shirley Hodgson St. Georges, London, UK [email protected] © 2015, Shirley Hodgson http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13623699.2015.1032523

The warrior, military ethics and contemporary warfare: Achilles goes symmetrical, by Pauline M, Kaurin, Farnham, Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2014, 154 pp., £60.00 (Hardback), ISBN 978-1-4094-6536-2, ebook PDF, ebook ePUB This is a thorough, honest and imaginative look at military ethics in the context of asymmetric conflict. The author roots the debate in universal concepts of loyalty and courage and draws on field experience, although almost exclusively of the US military. Recommendations are practical and clearly based on the analysis of challenges faced by both the military and their civilian counterparts. However, perhaps inevitably given the breadth and challenge of the subject, the foundations of the debate are not always clear and the perspectives of some actors are missing. It would have really helped if the usual list of acronyms had been included and the book has a surprising number of typos. The first half of the book addresses ‘jus in bello considerations often encountered in waging contemporary asymmetrical war’ (Chapter 1, 11 line 29) and covers military virtues (with chapters on courage and loyalty), the principle of discrimination, non-lethal and unmanned technologies and humanitarian intervention. Following a chapter on Warrior Ethos and Identity, the second half considers ‘how to train and educate to uphold these ideas and concepts’ (Chapter 1, 11 line 36), followed by the final conclusions. The characteristics of the Achilles of the title are contrasted with those of Hector, whose profile is considered closer to the ‘Guardian ethos’ (Chapter 7, 91 line 25), which is proposed to address some of the problematic issues in modern armed forces. These issues are clearly analysed and include ‘force protection as the highest expression of courage’ (Chapter 2, 20 line 27) and the ‘increased criminalisation of enemy combatants’ (Chapter 3, 35 line 26). Training is advocated which uses case studies in a way which, rather than having a ‘commentator who typically acts as a judge’ (Chapter 9 110 line 31) has a ‘community of inquirers’ (Chapter 9, 111 line 18) who work together to decide and justify what should or could have been done. One of the main conclusions in the final chapter ‘Navigating the Great Divide’ (Chapter 10, 123) is that there is a gap, which appears to be widening,

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between ‘how the military views their role, as opposed to how the larger civilian culture views the military’ (Chapter 10, 123 line 24). Recommendations include high-level civilian military discussions and addressing civilian perceptions and ‘even wilful delusion and wishful thinking on the part of those who do not go into combat’ (Chapter 10, 132 line 27); there is also a plea for civilians to be more involved in ‘what the resort to force is designed to do’ (Chapter 10, 134 line 5). This is an important book that it is hoped will be read carefully by both civilian and military actors with influence. However, there is a recurring question as to whether asymmetric conflict is really a new phenomenon which gives rise to the problems identified. This matters as the chapter on ‘Expanding the Combatant/Non-Combatant Distinction’ (Chapter 4, 41) proposes expanding the distinction to ‘three categories of combatants and two categories of non-combatants’ (Chapter 4, 42 line 1) on the basis that these are new situations. It is proposed that this ‘multipart distinction’ (Chapter 4, 46 line 13) means the actions of those in the field would be ‘consistent’ with international law (Chapter 4, 46 line 24) when it would probably mean a radical rewriting of it. This lack of clarity is compounded when, in the final chapter, asymmetric conflict is assumed to include ‘… nation building, humanitarian interventions, counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism activities’ (Chapter 10, 123 line 6), all of which would merit books on military ethics of their own. Perhaps the author will consider one of these. Marion Birch Independent consultant, London, UK [email protected] © 2015, Marion Birch http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13623699.2015.1032579 Scarred communities – psychosocial impact of man-made and natural disasters on Sri Lankan society, by Daya Somasundaram, London, Sage Publications Ltd, 2014, 520 pp., £55.00 (hardcover), ISBN 9788132111689, £57.00 (ebook), ISBN 9788132119661 Scarred Communities is the follow up to Somasundaram’s book published in 1998 Scarred Minds: The Psychological Impact of War in Sri Lanka. Somasundaram is a psychiatrist who has spent a lot of time in countries recovering from, or in the midst of, man-made and natural crises. It is clear that his experiences have given him insight into the real effects on individuals, families and communities and how they can recover from, or sometimes not recover from, such awful collective experiences.

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