Collateral Damage

Timely, topical and thought-provoking, this is a history of America's attempt to reconcile the atrocity of modern warfare with the idea that killing innocent civilians is not justified to win a war. The media reports everyday tallies of how many Iraqs were killed the previous day in America's current war in Iraq. Most of these victims are not soldiers - they are innocent civilians - they are the war's collateral damage. Sahr Conway-Lanz considers both policy makers' responses to the issues, as well as the on-going debate by the public on their perceptions of war violence against civilians, starting after WWII for the most complete examination of modern American discourse on this topic. For any student of history or military studies, this is essential course reading.