Ethics and the Return to Strategy

Abstract

Today there is a return to strategy in the foreign and defense policies of the United States and its allies. Strategy’s return has been prompted by the need to make decisions about when, where and how to use force to deter, disrupt and destroy individuals, groups and states that seek to upset the spread of democracy and free markets. Because force is now being considered not just to deter war, but also to wage war, there is a need to reconsider the ethical challenges created by the return of strategy. These challenges will manifest in a variety of ways, but they are likely to fall heavily on elected officials and military professionals as they grapple with terrorism and other unconventional forms of warfare and integrate new technologies into traditional force structures.