Honor between enemies: Cooperation in War

Abstract

Even while killing each other in war, opposing sides work together by establishing and obeying formal and informal rules, e.g., international laws governing POW treatment. This cooperation indicates general agreement on the norms, although not necessarily on how to justify them. For example, wearing uniforms started for one reason—imposing internal discipline on disorderly militias and solidifying loyalty to the sovereign—but has since taken on the moral justification of protecting civilians, so soldiers now accept the disadvantages of wearing uniforms on the understanding that their opponents do the same. Ad hoc cooperation, e.g, the “live-and-let-live” system of WWI trench warfare—without direct communication between sides and with individuals constantly rotating through—is even more impressive for its complexity. I trace the historical evolution of cooperation and discuss the significance of its breadth, intensity, and depth in modern warfare. Obviously, the desire for mutual gain contributed to the development of cooperation, but it is now overshadowed in some cases by beliefs that there are “right,” “honorable,” or “civilized” ways of warfare. More importantly, formalized cooperation in turn breeds expectations of future cooperation, which affects one’s behavior when engaging the enemy but may also generate normative requirements to cooperate.