Soldiers and ‘respect’ in complex conflicts: an Afghan case

Cornelia Vikan

doi:10.5324/eip.v12i1.2258

Abstract

This paper discusses the meaning of ‘respect’ in complex conflicts and aims to be a contribution to thinking about ethics in war along with the Just War tradition. The point of departure is the increased focus on soldiers as moral decision-makers in war, illustrated by the introduction of core values in the Norwegian Armed Forces. ‘Respect’ is one of these core values. However, it is not clear how we should understand ‘respect’ in this kind of context. I use a case where a group of Norwegian soldiers in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) sought the cooperation of a group of mujahedeen to solve the military mission of establishing security. As confidence between the parties grew, the soldiers became horrified witnesses to a practice of bacha bazi, where a young boy is dressed up for entertainment and sexually abused. My discussion of different perspectives of ‘respect’ in this specific context shows the importance of acknowledging the multitude of moral stakes in a moral decision-process instead of closing the eyes for a moral problem.

Highlights

Respect is one of three core values1 of the Norwegian Armed Forces (Forsvaret 2011, 2015a, 2015b)
This paper is dedicated to exploring the meaning of respect as an ethical guideline for soldiers in a complex war context, where established ethical principles for war come up short and where soldiers must rely on their own capability in ethical judgment beyond existing rules
In the description of respect, we find that respect is a moral duty: Respect is not a right; it is a moral duty that is expressed in attitudes and actions

Summary

Introduction

Respect is one of three core values of the Norwegian Armed Forces (Forsvaret 2011, 2015a, 2015b). I use a specific case to illustrate different perspectives of respect, a case that I have used in a paper on soldiers’ responsibility3 This case depicts a so-called ‘low intensity’ context (Trettenes 2009) during the ISAF mission, where soldiers have the time and occasion to deliberate about the situation and figure out how to handle it. The ISAF soldiers had brought halal meat to share, the mujahedeen men were positively curious about the soldiers, the atmosphere was good, and the ISAF soldiers spent the night On this first meeting, the ISAF group noticed a boy about ten or twelve years old, who served them tea and food. After yet another dinner meeting, the mujahedeen men asked the ISAF soldiers whether they would like ‘to spend some time alone with the boy’. The soldiers were seriously worried about the boy, and at the same time very conscious of the importance of their relationship to the mujahedeen group for the security of the ISAF in the area

Discussion

Conclusion