Weaponized NonCombatants: A Moral Conundrum of Future Asymmetrical Warfare Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • 2014, Taylor & Francis. Do noncombatants in warfare receive immunity because of their subjective or objective characteristics? Can a noncombatant be weaponized, and if so, how does this weaponization change the noncombatant's moral status as protected from direct attack? The purpose of this article is to analyze the moral issues that arise when noncombatants are made into weapons, specifically as delivery systems for biological weaponry. Examining such a tactic, I go on to explore how the problems that arise from weaponized noncombatants illustrate deeper problems in the (under-)theorization of noncombatant status.

published proceedings

  • Journal of Military Ethics

altmetric score

  • 0.25

author list (cited authors)

  • Gray, P. W.

citation count

  • 1

complete list of authors

  • Gray, Phillip W

publication date

  • January 2014