Just and Unjust Uses of Limited Force
A Moral Argument with Contemporary Illustrations
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Published:18th Jun '21
Should be back in stock very soon
Limited force is different than war: different in scope, strategic purpose, and ethical permissions and restraints. No-fly zones, limited strikes, Special Forces raids, and drone strikes outside 'hot' battlefield have been at the nexus of the moral and strategic debates about just war since the fall of the Berlin Wall but, with the exception of drones, these aspects of the modern arsenal have remained largely undertheorized. Just and Unjust Uses of Limited Force fills that gap by revisiting the major wars animating contemporary just war scholarship (Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, the drone 'wars', and Libya) through the lens of limited force and drawing insights from the just war tradition. Looking at these contemporary examples, the book teases out an ethical account of force-short-of-war. It covers the deliberation about whether to use limited force (jus ad vim), restraints that govern its use (jus in vi), when to stop (jus ex vi), and the after-use context (jus post vim). While these moral categories parallel to some extent their just war counterparts of jus ad bellum, jus in bello, jus post bellum, and jus ex bello, the book illustrates how they can be reimagined and recalibrated in a limited force context, while also introducing new principles specific to the dilemmas associated with escalation and risk. As the argument unfolds, the reader will be presented with a view of limited force as a moral alternative to war, exposed to a series of dilemmas regarding when and how limited force is used, and provided with a more precise and morally enriched vocabulary to talk about limited force and the responsibilities its use entails.
This book is likely to be added to the canon of major books in just war theory. The argument it makes has the potential to advance the field by sparking a conversation about one of the most morally worrisome developments in contemporary armed conflict, namely, the spread of limited force...I expect this book to greatly advance the debate about the ethics of limited force. This is not a book that provides easy answers. It invites the reader to engage with the very real practical dilemmas decision-makers face vis-a-vis limited force. * Christian Nikolaus Braun, Cambridge Review of International Affairs *
...read Brunstetter's excellent book and profit from its fine and principled analysis. * Brian Orend, University of Waterloo, Political Theory *
This book represents the culmination of nearly a decade of thinking deeply about and contributing impressively to this vital topic. * Brian Orend, University of Waterloo, Perspective on Politics *
Brunstetter focuses on four kinds of limited force: drones, targeted airstrikes, no-fly zones, and small-scale interventions by special forces. These phenomena cry out for moral and political evaluation. Brunstetter, in this refreshingly ambitious book, purports to offer a full-scale theory in this regard —of the "jus ad vim," where vim stands for "force (short-of-war)," with the whole phrase thus meaning "the justice of using limited force." This book represents the culmination of nearly a decade of thinking deeply about and contributing impressively to this vital topic. * Brian Orend, University of Waterloo, Perspective on Politics *
Brunstetter offers an insightful analysis of force short of war, even for those who do not accept his initial presumptions. There does not seem to be any decline in potential opportunities for limited uses of force on the horizon, making this work, and its wide distribution, all the more important. * Paul Vicars, Baylor University, The Strategy Bridge *
Brunstetter makes a strong case for the distinctiveness of limited force compared with law enforcement and war. His presentation of a systematic account is an exciting and valuable contribution to the literature on the ethics of war and violence. Richly illustrated with examples from recent cases, it will be essential reading for anyone working in the wider field of the ethics of armed conflict but especially those who are interested in smaller-scale uses of force by states. * Christopher J. Finlay, Review of Politics *
ISBN: 9780192897008
Dimensions: 240mm x 159mm x 22mm
Weight: 586g
304 pages