This is a book about how civilians suffer in war and why people decide that they should. Most civilian suffering in war is deliberate and always has been. Massacres, rape, displacement, famine and disease are usually designed. They are policies in war. In meetings or on mobile phones, political and military leaders decide that civilians are appropriate or inevitable targets. The principle that unarmed and innocent people should be protected in war is an ancient, precious but fragile idea. Today, the principle of civilian immunity is enshrined in modern international law and cherished by many. But, in practice, leaders in most wars reject the principle. Using detailed historical and contemporary examples, Killing Civilians looks at the many ways in which civilians suffer in wars and analyses the main anti-civilian ideologies which insist upon such suffering. It also exposes the very real ambiguity in much civilian identity which is used to justify extreme hostility. But this is also, above all, a book about why civilians should be protected. Throughout its pages, Killing Civilians argues for a morality of limited warfare in which tolerance, mercy and restraint are used to draw boundaries to violence. At the heart of the book are important new frameworks for understanding patterns of civilian suffering, ideologies of violence and strategies for promoting the protection of civilians. This is the first major treatment of the hard questions of civilian identity and protection in war for many years. Written by one of the humanitarian world s leading thinkers and former aid worker, it provides a unique and accessible text on the subject for professional and public readerships alike.
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'"Subjective violence", à la Zizek, is too flimsy a name for what Hugo Slim documents in this study, skilfully weaving history and psychology together with a sense of contemporary mission. Slim cites shocking eyewitness reports of murder and torture of civilians from wars around the world, tallying the way in which killers come to kill, and the excuses that governments make for them. The question is: can we do anything about it? Slim sees that mere appeals to international law carry little persuasive power where it counts, and suggests that we recast the argument as one about unfairness and cowardice, with a positive appeal to mercy. As an attempt to unravel one corner of the tapestry of symbolic violence hung over the reality of war, it might be a start.' --The Guardian 26 Feb. 2008
It would have been good if the treaties passed in the aftermath of the horrors of the Second World War had been upheld. But as Slim's very readable and instructive book makes clear, the conflicts of the last century have been marked by a spirit of complete indifference to the sufferings of civilians. Increasingly, they have been not protected, but targeted. Starvation and rape are used more and more as weapons of war. From Rwanda to Darfur, wars have been conducted not between combatants but through murder and scorched earth policies, and not because the participants are disorganised or undisciplined but because they have decided that terror and barbarity work best for them. Suicide bombers, child soldiers, marauding bands of killers, displacement caused by climate change, and the destruction of civil society in countries repeatedly at war have all played havoc with the orderly rules of conflict. What is left, as Hugo Slim persuasively argues, is morality. In every war, the historian Geoffrey Best wrote, there will always be people who are indelibly innocent ... unrecognisable as enemies except through the distorting lenses of barbarous and fanaticized mentalities , and morality demands that such people be protected. For Slim, whose book brings a refreshing and original eye to a difficult theme, the solution can come only from hard and courageous moral choices . The safety of civilians lies not in debates over weapons, but in political will, the express decision not to target and kill civilians. Whether anyone will actually choose to rise to this challenge is one of the fundamental questions of modern war.' --Caroline Moorhead, The Literary Review
An excellent book. ... I recommend it to the practitioner, political, humanitarian and military, and in equal measure to the general public in whose name they act. --General Sir Rupert Smith, KCB, DSO, OBE, QGM, author, The Utility of Force: The Art of War in the Modern World
It would have been good if the treaties passed in the aftermath of the horrors of the Second World War had been upheld. But as Slim's very readable and instructive book makes clear, the conflicts of the last century have been marked by a spirit of complete indifference to the sufferings of civilians. Increasingly, they have been not protected, but targeted. Starvation and rape are used more and more as weapons of war. From Rwanda to Darfur, wars have been conducted not between combatants but through murder and scorched earth policies, and not because the participants are disorganised or undisciplined but because they have decided that terror and barbarity work best for them. Suicide bombers, child soldiers, marauding bands of killers, displacement caused by climate change, and the destruction of civil society in countries repeatedly at war have all played havoc with the orderly rules of conflict. What is left, as Hugo Slim persuasively argues, is morality. In every war, the historian Geoffrey Best wrote, there will always be people who are indelibly innocent ... unrecognisable as enemies except through the distorting lenses of barbarous and fanaticized mentalities , and morality demands that such people be protected. For Slim, whose book brings a refreshing and original eye to a difficult theme, the solution can come only from hard and courageous moral choices . The safety of civilians lies not in debates over weapons, but in political will, the express decision not to target and kill civilians. Whether anyone will actually choose to rise to this challenge is one of the fundamental questions of modern war.' --Caroline Moorhead, The Literary Review
An excellent book. ... I recommend it to the practitioner, political, humanitarian and military, and in equal measure to the general public in whose name they act. --General Sir Rupert Smith, KCB, DSO, OBE, QGM, author, The Utility of Force: The Art of War in the Modern World
From the Back Cover
`An excellent book. ... I recommend it to the practitioner, political, humanitarian and military, and in equal measure to the general public in whose name they act.'
--General Sir Rupert Smith, KCB, DSO, OBE, QGM, author, The Utility of Force: The Art of War in the Modern World (Penguin) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
--General Sir Rupert Smith, KCB, DSO, OBE, QGM, author, The Utility of Force: The Art of War in the Modern World (Penguin) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
"Killing Civilians" is very good; grim in places but it's the nature of the subject. Hugo Slim had chosen to use highly descriptive and very personal experiences of violence; this is very effective and avoids the path of more esoteric discussion. His writing style is excellent; it makes a tough subject much more digestible and I like the way in which the subject is broken down into its component parts, including the "seven spheres of suffering". At £12.99 for the paperback, it's very good value. Indeed I'd say it should be required reading for Officer Cadets at Sandhurst, as part of their study of the Law of Armed Conflict. From time to time I did get a few odd looks from fellow commuters who had spotted the title though...!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An important contribution to the understanding of why and how civilians suffer in conflicts
20 Nov 2008
By R. Streeter
Format:Paperback
Civilians undoubtedly suffer in war and this is a book about why civilians should be protected. The author, Hugo Slim, explores how they suffer and why civilians are deliberately targeted in times of conflict. A central premise is that civilians are deliberately targeted in war, a policy of leaders, despite modern international law designed to protect those civilians. The author explores the intent and purpose behind civilian suffering and examines anti-civilian thinking, in the hope that by understanding the reasons will help build arguments against it. He wants to see a change from the merciless philosophies of war that see no reasons for limiting war, but to achieve that it is necessary to understand the true extent of civilian suffering.
Hugo Slim cites many past and current examples of civilian suffering throughout the book. These are taken from around the world. Many are explicit, to help the reader understand the extent and breadth of suffering caused and endured. Although uncomfortable to read, they are necessary and an important element of the narrative and support his observations and arguments.
The book has four main parts:
The first part looks at the different views of war through history. Attacks and atrocities against civilians are not new. The author introduces the philosophies of limited and limitless wars.
The second part examines the way civilians suffer and die in war. The author stresses, although civilians may be killed outright in a conflict, many have to endure dreadful conditions which in the long term kill them or cause long-term suffering. This confirms the ancient truth that most people die from war rather than in battle. Sexual violence, forced movement, impoverishment, famine and disease are just a few of the conditions that civilians have to endure.
The third and, for me, the most significant part examines the main reasons why those who wage war decide to target civilians and how those people mobilise others to carry out the violent campaigns against civilians. Very strong examples include popular support for genocide, including how populations can be turned against one another, such as in Rwanda, and how the German people could support the Holocaust. The author explains that people do not kill without reason. The reasons for killing and harming civilians are in the main thought up by political leaders who decide that a policy of mass killing, destitution or terror are the right strategies and tactical responses for the problems they face; other leaders cause suffering more reluctantly, having tried to avoid it. "The end justifies exceptional means." Churchill's decision to allow the firebombing of German cities during the Second World War is a good example of such thinking.
The definition of a civilian is not easy - not all civilians are considered as innocent in eyes of the warring parties. The author spends some time discussing the ambiguity of civilian identity that makes them a legitimate target in the minds of the attackers.
The fourth part looks at how anti-civilian cultures can be countered, to bring about tolerance and compassion. To me, this was perhaps the weakest part of the book. It was too much of a whistle-stop tour, although understandable as it is a huge and complex topic. It does however provide the foundation for identifying what needs to be done. Hugo Slim makes an important observation: most pro-civilian argument and campaigning today is based on outrage and intended to shame those responsible. This narrow approach is not successful. Wherever possible, pro-civilian arguments are needed in advance of war to counter anti-civilian thinking and undermine the development of anti-civilian killing movements. This requires that anti-civilian movements need to be recognised as they emerge and then challenged. Minds need to be changed. Can the international community achieve this? Hugo Slim's excellent book provides the arguments and background why it should, for the sake of humanity, but is the will there? Time will tell.
Do read this book.
Hugo Slim cites many past and current examples of civilian suffering throughout the book. These are taken from around the world. Many are explicit, to help the reader understand the extent and breadth of suffering caused and endured. Although uncomfortable to read, they are necessary and an important element of the narrative and support his observations and arguments.
The book has four main parts:
The first part looks at the different views of war through history. Attacks and atrocities against civilians are not new. The author introduces the philosophies of limited and limitless wars.
The second part examines the way civilians suffer and die in war. The author stresses, although civilians may be killed outright in a conflict, many have to endure dreadful conditions which in the long term kill them or cause long-term suffering. This confirms the ancient truth that most people die from war rather than in battle. Sexual violence, forced movement, impoverishment, famine and disease are just a few of the conditions that civilians have to endure.
The third and, for me, the most significant part examines the main reasons why those who wage war decide to target civilians and how those people mobilise others to carry out the violent campaigns against civilians. Very strong examples include popular support for genocide, including how populations can be turned against one another, such as in Rwanda, and how the German people could support the Holocaust. The author explains that people do not kill without reason. The reasons for killing and harming civilians are in the main thought up by political leaders who decide that a policy of mass killing, destitution or terror are the right strategies and tactical responses for the problems they face; other leaders cause suffering more reluctantly, having tried to avoid it. "The end justifies exceptional means." Churchill's decision to allow the firebombing of German cities during the Second World War is a good example of such thinking.
The definition of a civilian is not easy - not all civilians are considered as innocent in eyes of the warring parties. The author spends some time discussing the ambiguity of civilian identity that makes them a legitimate target in the minds of the attackers.
The fourth part looks at how anti-civilian cultures can be countered, to bring about tolerance and compassion. To me, this was perhaps the weakest part of the book. It was too much of a whistle-stop tour, although understandable as it is a huge and complex topic. It does however provide the foundation for identifying what needs to be done. Hugo Slim makes an important observation: most pro-civilian argument and campaigning today is based on outrage and intended to shame those responsible. This narrow approach is not successful. Wherever possible, pro-civilian arguments are needed in advance of war to counter anti-civilian thinking and undermine the development of anti-civilian killing movements. This requires that anti-civilian movements need to be recognised as they emerge and then challenged. Minds need to be changed. Can the international community achieve this? Hugo Slim's excellent book provides the arguments and background why it should, for the sake of humanity, but is the will there? Time will tell.
Do read this book.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.4 out of 5 stars
7 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Review of Killing Civilians
12 Aug 2011
By Nicole
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
I first read this book a few months ago as a graduate student in the Master's of Arts in Holocaust and Genocide Studies. I found this book to be incredibly enlightening, as it provided a perspective I have never thought about in such detail. Slim's examination of past political theorists was particularly interesting. By identifying the concepts of limited war, limitless war, and just war, Slim provides a great background to continue his analysis of tactics used against civilians. Slim's discussion of mercy, compassion, and empathy was particularly interesting. I had never thought about identifying the perpetrator with the victim, and visa versa, in the way he presents. Slim mentions ambiguity, and that it is this lack of familiarity and disassociation that can lead to civilian suffering. Throughout his analysis of theoretical concepts and examples of suffering, Slim highlights these particular themes as they are constant and provide an important and interesting parallel. Additionally, I found Slim's emphasis on human nature and compassion's role within the world of particular relevance. Slim writes, "human nature is mixed and volatile but compassion is a universal part of our nature, and, at the right time and place, it can save and improve lives," that "must be encouraged by example, law, authority, and culture" (33). Though war is a frequent consequence of human nature, Slim seems to suggest that it is compassion that has the power to stop hostility and lead to a period of stability and peace. Additionally, Slim focuses on themes such as compassion and mercy. Reading Goldhagen prior to this particular text forced me to think that perpetrators and victims are two separate entities that do not share commonalities. However, Slim's assertion that enemies are just like "you and me" stood out. I found it interesting that Slim believes compassion and mercy to be personal feelings rather than "ideas to operate within an enemy population" (286). Slim's book taught me not to think about enemies collectively. Individuals have the capacity to make choices, including mercy and compassion. Even if one individual feels mercy, it could save a life and just imagine how many lives could be saved if civilian ethic, mercy and compassion were taught and spread by political leaders, the media, and religious groups. I gained a new perspective from this book, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the subject matter, or even to anyone who just wants a great read.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Difficult Topic, Great Read
2 Sep 2011
By Cameron Peters
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Slim has tackled a very difficult and disturbing topic, about which it is hard to be objective. Despite this, he brings a balanced, thoughtful, insightful and very readable analysis of the role of both intentional and unintentional civilian deaths in the pursuit of political, ethnic, and personal objectives. Slim applies academic rigor as well as the personal reflection of someone who has been in the field and experienced that of which he writes. What was particularly interesting to me was the way in which seemingly sane and civil societies can change when under duress. I especially recommend this book to those interested in international conflict and the issues over which those conflicts arise.
5.0 out of 5 stars
What is a civilian? Will we ever know?
11 Aug 2011
By N. Klein
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is the first time I had ever read a book dealing exclusively with civilian casualties, both in and out of war, and suffice it to say, I was shaken by what I had read.
The term "civilian" has become much more difficult for me to define now, thanks to Hugo Slim's work. In a sense, the concept of "civilian" is part of the vapor that makes up the fog of war, as it is truly one of the more troubling and controversial aspects of fighting. I say this because Slim makes it clear that what makes an individual a civilian is not clear. Is someone a civilian when they keep weapons and munitions in their home? Provide shelter to soldiers? Send data to military intelligence? Express a distinct political view? Are they an indirect combatant at this point? Have they rescinded their civilian status?
These issues are deeply disturbing, because they make it obvious that we cannot generalize the term "civilian" anymore. But, if that is the case, how do we go about defining what a civilian is? By extension, what is a combatant? Is anyone in war truly neutral? Slim takes the time to examine these issues in depth, though he never claims to have all the answers or solutions; only his sharp, salient, observations.
I guarantee that if you read this book, you will never hear the word "civilian" in the same way you had before. It will shake your understanding of innocence in the battlefield, but that is the price for working towards eliminating generalizations.
The term "civilian" has become much more difficult for me to define now, thanks to Hugo Slim's work. In a sense, the concept of "civilian" is part of the vapor that makes up the fog of war, as it is truly one of the more troubling and controversial aspects of fighting. I say this because Slim makes it clear that what makes an individual a civilian is not clear. Is someone a civilian when they keep weapons and munitions in their home? Provide shelter to soldiers? Send data to military intelligence? Express a distinct political view? Are they an indirect combatant at this point? Have they rescinded their civilian status?
These issues are deeply disturbing, because they make it obvious that we cannot generalize the term "civilian" anymore. But, if that is the case, how do we go about defining what a civilian is? By extension, what is a combatant? Is anyone in war truly neutral? Slim takes the time to examine these issues in depth, though he never claims to have all the answers or solutions; only his sharp, salient, observations.
I guarantee that if you read this book, you will never hear the word "civilian" in the same way you had before. It will shake your understanding of innocence in the battlefield, but that is the price for working towards eliminating generalizations.
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4.4 out of 5 stars
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