Democracies at war against terrorism
Subtitle: a comparative perspective
By: edited by Samy Cohen ; translated by John Atherton ... [et al.].
Contributors: Cohen, Samy.
Series: CERI series in international relations and political economy
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Published: 2008
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 269
Subjects: Terrorism -- Prevention -- Moral and ethical aspects -- Case studies; Counterinsurgency -- Moral and ethical aspects -- Case studies; Asymmetric warfare -- Moral and ethical aspects -- Case studies; Humanitarian law -- Case studies
Genres: Case studies.
Description: This book deals with the difficulty democracies face in conducting asymmetric warfare in highly populated areas without violating international humanitarian law. On numerous occasions, democratic nations have been singled out by human rights NGOs for the brutality of their modus operandi, for their inadequate attention to the protection of civilian populations, or for acts of abuse or torture on prisoners. Why do they perpetrate these violations? Do they do so intentionally or unintentionally? Can democracies combat irregular armed groups without violating international law? When their population is under threat, do they behave as non-democracies would? Does this type of war inevitably produce war crimes on a more or less massive scale?
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Democracies and the ethics of war : the record of the past / Francois Cochet; title: The international laws of war and the fight against terrorism / Emmanuel; title: Decaux; title: The French state faced with the Algerian nationalists (1954-1962) : a war against terrorism? / Raphaelle Branche; title: Agents and ambushes : Britain's 'dirty war' in Northern Ireland / Martyn Frampton; title: Democracy and norms of war : locating moral responsibility for atrocity in Iraq / Neta Crawford; title: The British way in warfare / Alastair Finlan; title: Between humanitarian logic and operational effectiveness : how the Israeli army faced the second intifada / Samy Cohen; title: The armed forces, power and society : 18 years of counter insurgency in Indian Kashmir / Frederic Grare; title: The army of the Fifth Republic and the ethics of war in contemporary conflicts / Bastien Irondelle; title: Russia's war in Chechnya : the discourse of counter-terrorism and the legitimation of violence / Anne Le Huerou and Amandine Regamay; title: Algeria : is an authoritarian regime more effective in combating terrorist movements? / Luis Martinez.