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52. Dr David Whetham - On the Ethics of War, War Crimes and Ethical Decision Making
52. Dr David Whetham - On the Ethics of War, War Crimes and Ethical Decision Making
ratings:
Length:
94 minutes
Released:
Apr 4, 2022
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
My guest today is Dr David Whetham who is a Professor of Ethics and the Military Profession in the Defence Studies Department of King’s College London. He is the Director of the King’s Centre for Military Ethics and delivers or coordinates the military ethics component of courses for around two thousand British and international officers a year at the UK’s Joint Services Command and Staff College.
In 2020 David was appointed as an Assistant Inspector-General to the Australian Defence Force to assist in the final stages of the Afghanistan Inquiry and is the author of the report’s final Annex. He joined me to discuss issues of military ethics. Some of the topics we covered include:
David’s journey into military ethics
Defining military ethics
Jus ad bellum vs Jus in bello
Government and military tension when jus ad bellum is not met
Political leaders’ impunity when sending troops to war
Interests vs values debate
Impact of broken justifications for war
Afghanistan and impact of poor mission definition
Narrative vs reality and resulting disillusionment
Impact of the environment and whether atrocities in war are inevitable
Preparing our troops for moral dilemmas
Environmental elements that contribute to ethical demise
Special Forces, but not special
Mitigating circumstances to atrocities
Ethical drift and institutional responsibility
Realistic training for ethical dilemmas
Training to make the right decision, quicker
David mentioned the recent launch of a free app to help military service members make more informed decisions. You can find the app for both Apple and Android by searching for Military Ethics: Cards for Humanity.
In 2020 David was appointed as an Assistant Inspector-General to the Australian Defence Force to assist in the final stages of the Afghanistan Inquiry and is the author of the report’s final Annex. He joined me to discuss issues of military ethics. Some of the topics we covered include:
David’s journey into military ethics
Defining military ethics
Jus ad bellum vs Jus in bello
Government and military tension when jus ad bellum is not met
Political leaders’ impunity when sending troops to war
Interests vs values debate
Impact of broken justifications for war
Afghanistan and impact of poor mission definition
Narrative vs reality and resulting disillusionment
Impact of the environment and whether atrocities in war are inevitable
Preparing our troops for moral dilemmas
Environmental elements that contribute to ethical demise
Special Forces, but not special
Mitigating circumstances to atrocities
Ethical drift and institutional responsibility
Realistic training for ethical dilemmas
Training to make the right decision, quicker
David mentioned the recent launch of a free app to help military service members make more informed decisions. You can find the app for both Apple and Android by searching for Military Ethics: Cards for Humanity.
Released:
Apr 4, 2022
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
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