The Importance of Ethics in Counterinsurgency Operations
Abstract
The purpose of this research was to develop a set of key principles that would support both planners and operators in the conduct of counterinsurgency operations. This set of principles would also be morally acceptable on an international level, which would not only support the conduct of operations but would also lead to enhanced legitimacy and acceptance. The development of these principles is important because the current methods the Coalition is employing in Iraq and Afghanistan are not only ineffective, but they are increasing the rift in relations between the West and the Middle East. The method of analysis that was employed was a qualitative analysis of ethics/morality and counterinsurgency. After developing a set of ethical principles and analyzing them against Kant's categorical imperative to confirm universality, the principles were combined with the proposed COIN principles to develop a set of ethically sound principles for COIN. These principles were then applied to two case studies to confirm their employability. The result of the analysis was a set of morally sound COIN principles that provided positive results when applied to the case studies of counterinsurgencies in Algeria and Malaya. These ethically sound COIN principles were then used to construct several recommendations for the conduct of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The major inconsistency between the hypothesis and the outcome of the analysis was that the West and Islamic cultures have significant ethical beliefs in common. The research has provided an ethically inclusive model that planners they can employ during COIN to enhance the conduct of the operation and also drastically improve the perception and legitimacy of the counterinsurgent force.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 25, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA449945
Entities
People
- Tony Archer
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College