The Socio-Political Evolution of Ethics and How it Pertains to the Military Ethical Decision Making Process
Abstract
Temujin, known to most as Genghis Kahn, has been established as one of the most bloodthirsty tyrants of the 13th Century. He was known to destroy entire villages and cities, slaughter every man, woman, child and animal inhabiting them, and then sow the soil with salt so as to prevent the fields from producing for many years. His actions in that era were, in fact, quite common. Warfare had its own standard set of rules. If you conquered a people and they refused to submit to your rule, or if they betrayed a treaty, the standard response was total destruction. It is interesting that Kahn was deemed such a horrific tyrant, however, modem history views Alexander the Great of Macedonia as a great ruler, military strategist and diplomat. There are many in the old Persian Empire that would beg to differ. History tells us that Alexander the great was actually a melgomaniac that thought he was an invincible god, and he employed the same tactics as Genghis Khan did, only he did it 1500 years earlier. Little has changed in the 2300 years since Alexander the Great rampaged across Persia, Asia and India. Arguably, it does seem that Western culture has taken strides to ease the atrocities of war, though at a slow rate. As recently as the 1600s early settlers and indigenous people in North America committed such atrocities upon each other that they are still commented upon today. The English, French and American Indians fought, tortured and slaughtered each other for the better part of200 years, from the Jamestown Massacre of 1622 to the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. Our own modem history reflects other atrocities that at the time were considered well within the realm of social acceptance. One recent event during the Viet Nam War was the 1968 My Lai village massacre. More than 500 civilians were killed by the 11th Infantry Brigade of the American Division. One lieutenant that was involved in the incident viewed it as the right thing for the type of war being fought.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 03, 2007
- Accession Number
- AD1127725
Entities
People
- James A. Kester
Organizations
- United States Army Sergeants Major Academy