Journal of Military Ethics Seminar

Journal of Military Ethics seminar, September 9, 2011
Defence Minister Grete Faremo

At the same time as the Twin Towers fell on September 11, 2001, a new journal was putting together its first issue: the Journal of Military Ethics, started by military chaplains here in Norway, along with leading academics within military ethics in the United States.

Already at that time, before 9-11, the world was full of ethical dilemmas related to the use of armed force. Here are some of them:

• Does NATO have moral reasons for continuing to exist after the fall of the Iron Curtain?
• Is it right to use armed force even if one is not oneself attacked; for instance, in order to save human lives in a humanitarian emergency?
• Are there special rules for humanitarian interventions? And who decides whether to engage in such interventions?
• How should military forces behave when the enemy seems to be breaking all known rules of war?
• And finally, who is responsible when military forces violate the laws of war: the individual soldier, higher officers, or the politicians who sent them into battle?

These were difficult and important questions back in 2001, and they continue to be so. But then came 9/11, and the intersection between ethics and war became even more challenging, as we had to ask ourselves how we can defend ourselves against the danger of terrorism while still living up to high ethical standards.

We need sustained debate about these questions, not least since military affairs put us face to face with one of the greatest problems of ethics, namely, “the heat of battle”. To behave rightly when everything is calm and transparent is not so difficult. But when chaos reigns, fear is everywhere, and one’s life is at stake, it is not always easy. Some even claim that ethics is not relevant in such situations.

The Journal that we are celebrating today is built on the premise that solid ethics is a necessary groundwork for all use of armed force. Waging war without clear rules and restraints can degenerate into the worst form of brutality. As a nation, we cannot allow that. As a government minister, I cannot allow that.

But let us remember that ethics is not only about rules and theory. Ethics is also about personal attitudes and values. Therefore, a day such as this cannot merely be about philosophy and law, important though they are. We must also speak about the soldiers and officers themselves. Therefore, it is extremely important that a journal such as the Journal of Military Ethics also speaks to the military practitioners. One of the aims of the journal is indeed to be a bridge between the academic community and the soldiers and officers who experience the battlefield. We need such bridges more than ever.