This important new book deals with the changing nature of war in
the post-Cold War era and the emergence of new forms of warfare in
which warlords, mercenaries and terrorists play an increasingly
important role.

In the modern era, warfare came to play a crucial role in the
formation of states, whereas the new wars emerging at the beginning
of the 21st century have mostly gone together with the failure or
collapse of states. The author draws out the key shifts involved in
this process: from symmetrical conflicts between states to
asymmetrical global relationships of force; from national armies to
increasingly private or commercial bands of warlords, child
soldiers and mercenaries; from pitched battles to protracted
conflicts in which there is often little fighting and most of the
violence is directed against civilians. Changes in weapons
technology have combined with complex economic factors to make the
prospect of endlessly simmering wars a real danger in the years to
come.

Against this background, the author outlines the rise of a novel
form of international terrorism, conceived more as a political
method of communication than as an element in a military strategy.
The resulting challenges faced by Western governments, and the
costs and benefits associated with any response, are taken up in a
concluding section that contrasts the characteristic European and
American approaches and examines the implications for the future of
international law.