In Between Digital War and Peace

Journal of Military Ethics, vol. 23, pp. 152–161

Abstract

The world can be divided into a digital sphere and a physical sphere. Within the realm of the physical sphere, Michael Walzer's Just War Theory stands as a prominent framework for understanding the ethics of warfare. Is his theoretical framework also applicable to the digital sphere? This article studies whether elements of Walzer's theory can be adapted to the context of digital conflict. Walzer divides countries into zones of peace, zones of war, and in-between zones. A country could then, for example, be a physical zone of peace but a digital zone of war. This article explores in which ways the defining characteristics of the different zones can be found in the digital sphere. It concludes that the digital sphere should mostly be seen as an in-between zone, with the problem of very unclear borders. Regarding Walzer's theory, while it offers valuable insights when applied to the digital sphere, difficulties arise, underscoring the necessity for further research to refine the principles of just war within the digital sphere.

Authors 1

1. Jasmijn Boeken corresponding Aachen Institute of Security and Global Affairs

   Leiden University · The Hague University of Applied Sciences

   Affiliation as printed

   Centre of Expertise Cyber Security, The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Den Haag, The Netherlands

   Institute of Security and Global Affairs (ISGA), Leiden University, Den Haag, The Netherlands