In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Reviewed by:
  • Military Honour and the Conduct of War: From Ancient Greece to Iraq
  • Bertram Wyatt-Brown
Military Honour and the Conduct of War: From Ancient Greece to Iraq. By Paul Robinson. New York: Routledge, 2006. ISBN 0-415-39201-2. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Pp. 218. $120.00.

Paul Robinson's fascinating survey of the universal warrior ethic begins with the comment, "Honour and war are inseparable" (p. 1). Adopting a topical framework to master so elusive, complex, and ambiguous a subject, the author explores honor's meaning in seven different conflicts in the trans-Atlantic West. In each chapter he treats nine elements, beginning with: honor as virtue; cause of war; motive in the fighting; and reward for valor. He then continues with: honor and death; honor in the conduct of war; the enemy; the ending of war; and finally women (p. 1). Such a wide range of subheadings seems almost daunting for so abbreviated a work. Yet, thanks to choosing the right quotation and providing a careful sketch of the context in each society, the author stimulates us with his astute assessments and his skillful comparisons among the seven historical selections.

Recognizing the significance of ancient Greece and Rome as the wellspring of martial ethics in the West, Robinson explores the meaning of time (honor) and aidos (shame). These were the polarities of social order, and, to [End Page 603] a degree, they are still key in military cultures. For the Greeks, the overriding ideal was dread of shame and the acquisition of glory—that is, fame for boldness in warfare and immortal remembrance by subsequent ages. On the other hand, Romans stressed state security, group cohesion, and loyalty to allies rather than the individual machoism of an Achilles.

After the fall of Rome, the development of knighthood carried the concept of honor into new channels. As Robinson notes, the ethic dominated standards of military conduct even though service to God and church had been added to the listing of things honorable. In the twelfth century, the introduction of women as objects of loyalty softened the primal foundations of the martial ethic. While romanticizing warfare, the medieval chivalry, Robinson concludes, simultaneously "sought to humanize it" (p. 79). Robinson elaborates with literary expositions of honor, including Shakespeare and the philosopher Sir Thomas Elyot, who added learning and magnanimity to the code's definition.

American readers will appreciate the author's exploration of Southern honor in the Civil War. He argues that thirty years of Yankee fulminations against slavery, John Brown's 1859 insurrection, and the 1860 election of an antislavery President so violated Southerners' sense of identity and Christian purpose that they rushed to arms. In the next chapter, Robinson reveals how British imperialists dwelt on "character" of a manly style, a fresh version of the ethic. According to the author, neither commercial venture nor fear of Russian encroachment explains the crown's colonial expansion. Instead, the principal motive was the desire for honorable recognition and power. In the Great War, fear of dishonor led both government and people of Great Britain to defend Belgium and France. Avner Offer makes clear that, indeed, all the great powers resorted to war largely out of dread of disgrace and vulnerability. (See Avner Offer, "Going to War in 1914: A Matter of Honor?" Politics and Society 23 (June 1995): 213–41.)

Despite the horrendous loss of life and limb in that conflict, military honor still lives. Robinson points out that during the interwar period many feared that Western moral integrity had collapsed. Honor thus took a fascist turn, with Heinrich Himmler creating the SS along the lines of knightly precedents and Mussolini stressing a resurgence of ancient Roman glory. Even today, Robinson writes, "man remains as attached to external recognition as any ancient hero" (p. 165). We in the West, though, fail to realize that in the Middle East the ancient style prevails. American occupation of Iraq prompts fierce resistance. By disbanding the Baathist army and government in May 2003, the U.S. violated "sharaf," "ihtiram," and "ird." These terms refer to the shaming of the deposed leaders, their right to bear arms, and their duty to protect their women and families...

pdf

Share