A COSMOPOLITAN RESPONSE TO NEW WARS

In: Peace review: the international quarterly of world peace, Band 8, Heft 4, S. 505-514

Abstract

SOME HAVE ARGUED THAT THE POST-COLD WAR PERIOD HAS BEEN MUCH MORE UNSTABLE OR VIOLENT THAN WHAT CAME BEFORE. CERTAINLY THE NUMBER OF WARS HAS INCREASED IN THE 1980S AND 1990S, ESPECIALLY IN EUROPE AND AFRICA. MORE IMPORTANT, HOWEVER, THE NATURE OF WARS HAS CHANGED. OVERALL CASUALTIES AND DIRECT PARTICIPATION IN WARS TEND TO BE LOWER BUT THE RATIO OF CIVILIAN TO MILITARY CASUALTIES HAS RISEN QUITE DRAMATICALLY. WARS TEND TO BE LONGER, MORE PERVASIVE AND LESS DECISIVE.