Title

Unthinkable and Tragic: The Psychology of Weapons Taboos in War

Authors

Authors

T. M. Dolan

Comments

Authors: contact us about adding a copy of your work at STARS@ucf.edu

Abbreviated Journal Title

Int. Organ.

Keywords

PROTECTED VALUES; NUCLEAR TABOO; CHEMICAL WARFARE; DECISION-MAKING; MORAL JUDGMENT/; NORM VIOLATION; SELF; EMOTIONS; STATES; AUTOMATICITY; International Relations

Abstract

Discussions of weapons taboos have failed to take into account the possibility that prescriptive international and national norms of behavior may come into conflict. Using psychological studies of trade-offs and protected values as a guide, this article argues that when these conflicts exist, the taboos' individual-level constraining effects can be vitiated. An analysis of General George Marshall's proposal to use chemical weapons against the Japanese in 1945 demonstrates that normative conflict can produce a readiness to violate weapons taboos. In these situations, state decisions to violate taboos may depend on the extent to which the perception of normative conflict is shared by other decision makers and society more generally.

Journal Title

International Organization

Volume

67

Issue/Number

1

Publication Date

1-1-2013

Document Type

Article

Language

English

First Page

37

Last Page

63

WOS Identifier

WOS:000313590300002

ISSN

0020-8183

Share

COinS