Soldiers and 'respect' in complex conflicts: An Afghan case

Abstract

This paper discusses the meaning of 'respect' in complex conflicts and aims to contribute to the 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 ofbacha bazi, where a young boy is dressed up for entertainment and is sexually abused. I discuss different perspectives of respect in this specific context to show the importance of acknowledging the multitude of moral stakes in a moral decision-process instead of closing our eyes to a moral problem.