Bloomsbury Academic
Ground Truth: The Moral Component in Contemporary British Warfare
Key Metrics
- Frank Ledwidge
- Bloomsbury Academic
- Hardcover
- 9781350335523
- 9.21 X 6.14 X 1 inches
- 1 pounds
- Political Science > Security (National & International)
- English
Secure TransactionBook Description
After twenty years of almost unbroken wars of choice, the ethical deficiencies in the operational conduct of war by Western armed forces, has largely been ignored by scholarly critique - this volume addresses these deficiencies. It features analysis by some of the UK's leading soldiers, veterans and scholars working in the fields of military ethics and contemporary conflict.
Individual chapters discuss problems ranging from the practicalities of how to conduct a counterinsurgency campaign in one of the most challenging combat zones in the world, to the failure to account properly for defeat during military conflicts, among many others. The book addresses questions perennially raised about the role of the military in a democratic society and the extent to which its ideals are compromised in fighting wars of choice. Finally, the contributors look at remedies and solutions to these compromises by examining how previous generations faced similar problems and acted to solve them, and look ahead to see what lessons can be applied in a very different future.
Author Bio
Frank spent fifteen years at the front end of British foreign policy, dealing with problems such as torture, human trafficking and war crimes in the Balkans, Central Asia and the Middle East. Prior to that, he worked for seven years as a barrister in his home town of Liverpool and throughout the North of England, working mostly in the criminal and family jurisdictions. He was an officer in the Royal Naval Reserve for 15 years and served operational tours in the Balkans and Iraq.
Frank was seconded by the British government to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe for 7 years. He worked in Kosovo, Albania and much of the former Soviet Union in international human rights protection, criminal law reform, and institution building at the highest levels of government. Later he served as the first ‘Justice Advisor’ to the UK Mission in Helmand Province in 2007-2008 and worked in a similar role at the UK Embassy in Libya during and after the war there. He haslectured all over the world on military culture, history and performance and has worked as a consultant in Europe, Africa and Asia.
Frank holds law degrees from Oxford and Huddersfield Universities and received his doctorate in war studies from Kings College London in 2015.
He is the author of several well-reviewed books and is regular commentator on national and international print and broadcast media.
Frank has given evidence to the UK House of Commons Defence Committee on National Strategy and has spoken at conferences all over the world on war and law. In 2016 he was privileged to deliver one of Cambridge University's annual 'Darwin Lectures'.
Source: University of Portsmouth
Videos
Community reviews
Write a ReviewNo Community reviews