Reconstructing the moral equality of soldiers : dissertation for the degree of Ph.d.

Omtale

Are all soldiers morally equal? The answer depends on whether soldiers are morally responsible for the wars they fight. According to International Law soldiers on both the just and unjust side are granted impunity for harmful acts in war, provided they do not attack non-military targets. Just and unjust soldiers therefore have the same permissions and the same obligations in war. This norm is challenged on moral grounds by those who believe that participation in an unjust war is a moral wrong for which soldiers are responsible. The present dissertation examines the arguments both for and against the doctrine of the moral equality of soldiers, and the implications of these arguments for the permissions and obligations of soldiers. Lene Bomann-Larsen concludes that soldiers are approximately equal in virtue of a presumption of blamelessness with regard to the wars they fight. This gives a sufficient moral basis for drawing a zone of impunity around soldiers, but not to ensure that soldiers are not wronged in their mutual fighting.