Ethics training on War

Ethics

The first article “The Road to Basra” talks about how the US forces had decided to attack the convoy leaving the city due to information gathered through intelligence. Using US intelligence agents and gathering information, it was decided that those who are considered combatants, and essentially enemies, would be leading a convoy out of the city over night. The second article “White Flags on the Road to Basra” discusses the same incident, but from a different perspective. This article talks about how the convoy was an attempt to retreat from the city, not to simply move. This article also uses the point of view that those who were fleeing the city when they were attacked were young teenagers, some only 13 or 14 years old. During the attack, the Iraqi soldiers fled from their convoy and were tracked down “as far as a half mile from the road” (p. 244).

The ethical implications that arose involve the necessity of these killings. On one hand, people argue that these Iraqi soldiers were catalysts for the war and were enemies. The other side of the argument states that the convoy was attempting to retreat and some of the soldiers were “waving white flags” (p. 244). Even though at this time the soldiers were attempting to surrender, they had already inflicted a great deal of destruction to the Kuwaiti people and land. The intelligence information was that these fleeing soldiers had destroyed evidence of war crimes. Does this make them exempt from suffering the consequences of war? Since they were surrendering at the last minute, does this mean they should have been spared? These are serious ethical implications of war that arose from this situation. Undoubtedly, many people will be on either side of the argument.