Targeted Killing in-between Retribution, Deterrence, and Mercy: A Response to Anh Le

ABSTRACT This article responds to Anh Le’s critique of my Journal of Military Ethics article entitled “The Morality of Retributive Targeted Killing.” Le argues that while retribution can in theory function as justification, purely retributive targeted killings cannot be found in practice. Moreover, pointing to the virtue of charity, which partly underpins my right intention argument, Le holds that it would be unmerciful to kill wrongdoers for past crimes if the acting state knows that those individuals do not pose a future threat. In response, I demonstrate that whilst focusing on the retributive rationale, I did not deny that other rationales play a role in targeting decisions. Rather, my intention was to direct attention to retributive uses of force that are nowadays oftentimes justified as self-defence. Additionally, I started from a different understanding of the relationship between charity and justice, which has an impact on the risk assessment just combatants should make in capture attempts.