More on the morality of modern warfare

In this earlier post I discussed the question of the morality of modern war methods as it comes to the use of air and missile power in civilian areas. Relevant to that topic is this article from today's Times of India:

COLOMBO: At least 43 schoolgirls were killed in Sri Lanka's rebel-held Mullaitivu district on Monday and dozens more hurt when air force jets bombed an orphanage, the pro-rebel Tamilnet.com website reported.

War planes hit the orphanage run by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), where at least 60 girls were also wounded, the Tamilnet said. "Fir jet bombers of the Sri Lanka air force dropped several bombs on the premises of the Chinchilla children home in Vallipunam, killing at least 43 schoolgirls," the Tamilnet said.

Over at the Daily Dish, Andrew Sullivan writes:

I await the international condemnation. Maybe if the Israelis had done it, someone would care.

I'm not sure quite how to feel about Sullivan's remark. Does he really want international condemnation, or would he prefer silence in order to use that silence to negate condemnation of the Israelis?

In my view, both sides deserve condemnation- international and personal. The fact that this event happened the day after the earlier post on the topic underscores my point about the fact that technology is running ahead of morality in the conduct of war. The Times article does not provide enough information for us to know whether the number of 'rebels' killed was greater or fewer than children- or even if any rebels were killed at all. Regardless, the method of conducting warfare is all too common and is deserving of condemnation whenever any nation uses it.

Will we in the US- who so often seem in awe of our 'smart bombs'- be willing to really look at this issue of the morality of military tactics which lead to such high rates of civilian casualties? There is precedent to provide hope. After Vietnam, there was an examination of military tactics that did lead to some positive changes. Perhaps after Iraq (when will 'after Iraq' be??) we will be able to think clearly and calmly about this issue and find our way to the moral high ground.

GP