Unthinkable and Tragic: The Psychology of Weapons Taboos in War

    Authors

    T. M. Dolan

    Comments

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    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

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