Ethics and Military Strategy in the 21st Century

'George Lucas has done a timely and superb analysis of ongoing dramatic changes in warfare and the associated effects this is having on the role of ethics for strategic leaders. He describes how emerging domains of war in space and cyber not only raise new ethical challenges but also expand their complexity dramatically at the same time bringing ethical and moral choice to the center of decision making in war. This should be read carefully by senior political and military leaders and will be invaluable to professional military development around the globe.'— Col. Jeff McCausland, Dean (ret), U.S. Army War College and Former Director of the National Security Council Staff, USA.

'This volume is an excellent and sorely needed contribution to the discussion of ethics, Just War and strategy, looking at Clausewitz with fresh eyes as well as considering how recent Revisionist discussions and ideas in Just War apply to post-modern warfare. That Lucas is able to bring these three elements together with relevant and concrete case studies and examples makes this a must read for scholars and practitioners alike.'-- Pauline Shanks Kaurin, VADM Stockdale Professor of Ethics, U.S. Naval War College

'George Lucas’s brilliant new book offers a novel and eclectic "theory of just war theory" and much more. Its nuanced reading of Clausewitz, insightful contextualization of revisionist claims, deep understanding of technology, and timely appeal to classical wisdom make for a unique and urgently needed contribution to the ethics of war.'—Col. James L. Cook, Chairman of the Department of Philosophy, U.S. Air Force Academy

'An insightful and timely contribution to the debate about how the Just War Tradition relates to the conflicts of today and the future.' – David Whetham, Director of King’s Centre for Military Ethics, King’s College London

'In Ethics and Military Strategy in the 21st Century: Moving Beyond Clausewitz, George Lucas systematically makes the case for what many of us have sensed intuitively -- changes in the nature of modern warfare have made ethics a key strategic concern. Humanitarian interventions, irregular warfare, and hybrid warfare are no longer exceptional cases, but instead typify the sorts of conflicts American forces will be asked to fight in the future. Such missions will be unwinnable without a commitment to ethical action -- an "inconvenient truth" that will put more pressure on individual service personnel to understand the ethical implications of their individual actions in the context of mission demands. Eminently readable, this is just the sort of book we need right now.'--Valerie Morkevicius, Associate Professor of Political Science, Colgate University

'With the publication of Ethics and Military Strategy in the 21st Century, Lucas will arguably change how combatants, strategists, and academicians re-think the future of war.'--Edward Erwin,Journal of Military Ethics, January 2021