Ethical Soldier's Manual
One problem with being a solider is that there is no manual that spells
clearly out what one should do if one finds oneself in a war or operation
that violates international law, is illegal, or has been justified with lies to
those who are responsible for authorizing war. This has been recently
proven to be a problematic issue and a position of ambiguity in the U.S.
when Lieutenant Ehren Watada claimed conscientious objector status
because the War in Iraq was in his mind demonstrably illegal. The
court claimed it wasn't able to resolve the case, thus putting Wata, and
all his fellow soldiers, in an untenable position. Without a way to
resolve if the wars they are fighting are legal, just, and above the board,
soldiers who simply follow orders are left with potential complicity in
perpetrating acts that could end them up in international court, branded
as immoral and accomplices of illegal activities, or fulfilling the unjust
wishes of a few top decision-makers that could be operating to the
detriment of their own country. Worse, they could end up the
scapegoats or patsy in a military system that brutally discourages
upward criticism.
This implication of this issue with Wata is that soldiers everywhere will
consider that speaking up even in an authorized conscientious objector
option against immoral and illegal acts of one's leaders will not be
resolved by a reasonable government due process. The persistence of t
he situation exemplified by Wata means that leaders find themselves
less and less accountable for decisions that kill thousands as surely
and as knowingly as if they had pulled the trigger themselves.
The Ethical Soldier's Manual will be a step towards helping to clarify this
problem for prospective soldiers, volunteers and conscripts in
countries around the world. It informs military people what their rights
and options are under international laws and various legal systems.
More importantly it discusses the ethical options in relation to
punishment, complicity, and perpetration of unjust and misrepresented
prosecution of war. CfaRS is currently recruiting volunteers for this
project. If you'd like to help out with this project, contact us.
One problem with being a solider is that there is no manual that spells
clearly out what one should do if one finds oneself in a war or operation
that violates international law, is illegal, or has been justified with lies to
those who are responsible for authorizing war. This has been recently
proven to be a problematic issue and a position of ambiguity in the U.S.
when Lieutenant Ehren Watada claimed conscientious objector status
because the War in Iraq was in his mind demonstrably illegal. The
court claimed it wasn't able to resolve the case, thus putting Wata, and
all his fellow soldiers, in an untenable position. Without a way to
resolve if the wars they are fighting are legal, just, and above the board,
soldiers who simply follow orders are left with potential complicity in
perpetrating acts that could end them up in international court, branded
as immoral and accomplices of illegal activities, or fulfilling the unjust
wishes of a few top decision-makers that could be operating to the
detriment of their own country. Worse, they could end up the
scapegoats or patsy in a military system that brutally discourages
upward criticism.
This implication of this issue with Wata is that soldiers everywhere will
consider that speaking up even in an authorized conscientious objector
option against immoral and illegal acts of one's leaders will not be
resolved by a reasonable government due process. The persistence of t
he situation exemplified by Wata means that leaders find themselves
less and less accountable for decisions that kill thousands as surely
and as knowingly as if they had pulled the trigger themselves.
The Ethical Soldier's Manual will be a step towards helping to clarify this
problem for prospective soldiers, volunteers and conscripts in
countries around the world. It informs military people what their rights
and options are under international laws and various legal systems.
More importantly it discusses the ethical options in relation to
punishment, complicity, and perpetration of unjust and misrepresented
prosecution of war. CfaRS is currently recruiting volunteers for this
project. If you'd like to help out with this project, contact us.
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Reason™ is a non-profit corporation of the state of Colorado, U.S.A.
Text and images falls under the copyright of the author when indicated.
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MOR - CfaRS
Center for a Reasoning Society
Center for a Reasoning Society
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