Military Medical Ethics in Contemporary Armed Conflict

Gross's book will undoubtedly serve as a mainstay among practitioners and theorists alike. Though it focuses almost exclusively on the United States and the United Kingdom in the Middle Eastern wars of the past two decades, much of the discussion applies to a host of other contexts as well. Though the book is capacious in its treatment of topics pertaining to military ethics, there is a univocal thesis animating the discussion at each turn: the idea that military medical ethics is not a disjunctive discipline with Janus-faced loyalties to medical ethics on the one hand and to military ethics on the other, but instead a sui generis discipline in its own right, which he painstakingly develops... Gross's book will, I believe, set the agenda among practitioners and theorists of medical ethics in war for years to come. It is a monumental achievement. * Bioethics *
Philosophically sophisticated, well written, and thoroughly researched, this comprehensive exploration of military medical ethics will interest students of medical ethics more generally and be a particularly valuable contribution for scholars seeking to explore the ethics of war and the often-overlooked medical ramifications of just-war thinking. * L. Steffen, CHOICE *
Michael Gross has dared to do what few have done—bring the ethics of going to war in line with the obligations of modern medicine. This is no simple merger of military and medical ethics. It is a new field. And those who study war, go to war, or provide medical care for those injured in war will be indebted to Gross's meticulous scholarship and lucid and critical analysis of scores of complex case studies from recent wars. * Nancy Sherman, author Stoic Wisdom: Ancient Lessons for Modern Resilience and University Professor and Professor of Philosophy, Georgetown University *
Michael L. Gross has developed the most comprehensive framework for the analysis of bioethics issues in the military setting. This book, taking into account the changing nature of armed conflict in the 21st century, will be the authoritative reference point for many years to come. * Jonathan D. Moreno, David and Lyn Silfen University Professor, University of Pennsylvania *