Skip to main content
Home

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Series
  • People
  • Depts & Colleges

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Series
  • People
  • Depts & Colleges

Soft War: The Ethics on Unarmed Conflict

Series
Changing Character of War
Embed
Soft war tactics, including cyber-warfare and economic sanctions, propaganda and non-violent resistance are of increasing importance but largely unexplored in just war theory. This talk illuminates this neglected aspect of international conflict.
Just war theory focuses primarily on bodily harm, such as killing, maiming, and torture, while other harms are often largely overlooked. At the same time, contemporary international conflicts increasingly involve the use of unarmed tactics, employing 'softer' alternatives or supplements to kinetic power that have not been sufficiently addressed by the ethics of war or international law. Soft war tactics include cyber-warfare and economic sanctions, media warfare, and propaganda, as well as non-violent resistance as it plays out in civil disobedience, boycotts, and 'lawfare.' While the just war tradition has much to say about 'hard' war - bullets, bombs, and bayonets - it is virtually silent on the subject of 'soft' war. This talk illuminates this neglected aspect of international conflict.

Michael L. Gross is Professor of Political Science and Head of the School of Political Science at the University of Haifa, Israel. He has published widely in medical ethics, military ethics military medical ethics and related questions of medicine and national security.

More in this series

View Series
Changing Character of War
Captioned

Giving Up The Gun: Disengaging from Politically Motivated Violence in Northern Ireland

Is de-radicalisation of former terrorists helpful or even possible? This presentation explores the processes involved in leaving social movements or disengaging from terrorist activities.
Previous
Changing Character of War
Captioned

Wall Street Goes to War

In this provocative seminar, Dr Sean McFate, author, novelist and expert in foreign policy and national security strategy, looks at the neglected area of the economics of war.
Next
Transcript Available

Episode Information

Series
Changing Character of War
People
Michael L. Gross
Keywords
soft war
international relations
war
conflict
just war theory
sanctions
propaganda
cybersecurity
Department: Pembroke College
Date Added: 26/10/2017
Duration:

Subscribe

Apple Podcast Audio

Download

Download Transcript

Footer

  • About
  • Accessibility
  • Contribute
  • Copyright
  • Contact
  • Privacy
'Oxford Podcasts' Twitter Account @oxfordpodcasts | MediaPub Publishing Portal for Oxford Podcast Contributors | Upcoming Talks in Oxford | © 2011-2022 The University of Oxford