In The Warrior's Honor, Michael Ignatieff takes us into situations of war and disaster. In the five essays, he explores the approach of Western nations that embark on intervention, aid, and assistance to those in other nations who are in trouble or those we think will likely be in trouble unless we lend a hand in putting things right. He questions why we feel that we must do something for strangers far beyond our own families, friendships, and even our nation. We, the citizens of the settled west are everywhere, as "aid workers, reporters, lawyers for war crimes tribunals, human rights observers- and so on and so forth. The problems of other people concern us, so we get involved. The first discovery we make then, is that human rights have little or no concern in war, so Ignatieff finds it far better to refer to these fighters as warriors than as human beings, warriors have codes of honor, human beings have none.
Ignatieff attributes the growth of western principles about the violence committed in cultural wars to their shocking televised portrayals. This has made it difficult "to sustain indifference or ignorance, "because these images of human suffering pierce the mind and bring up moral issues. We feel good about feeling bad for others. As we are confronted with a "pure victim," we may fall into a harmful combination of pity and contempt as we prefer our victims to be innocent. Little do we realize that these victims are likely to be the victimizers as well. Because of the format of news programs, we have been allowed to submit to what Ignatieff calls the "Seductiveness of Moral Disgust." As viewers face a nightly stream of ghastly images, each victim becomes anonymous and innocent, and historical context for the battles are removed. The author calls for a change in journalistic practices and a more universal "revolution of moral values.".
Ethnic nationalism is a form of narcissism, a self-love that encourages intolerance of others.
