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Targeting Civilians in War (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs) by Alexander B. Downes is a book available to read on EtoBox.

What is Targeting Civilians in War (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs) about?

Accidental harm to civilians in warfare often becomes an occasion for public outrage, from citizens of both the victimized and the victimizing nation. In this vitally important book on a topic of acute concern for anyone interested in military strategy, international security, or human rights, Alexander B. Downes reminds readers that democratic and authoritarian governments alike will sometimes deliberately kill large numbers of civilians as a matter of military strategy. What leads governments to make such a choice?Downes examines several historical cases: British counterinsurgency tactics during the Boer War, the starvation blockade used by the Allies against Germany in World War I, Axis and Allied bombing campaigns in World War II, and ethnic cleansing in the Palestine War. He concludes that governments decide to target civilian populations for two main reasons—desperation to reduce their own military casualties or avert defeat, or a desire to seize and annex enemy territory. When a state's military fortunes take a turn for the worse, he finds, civilians are more likely to be declared legitimate targets to coerce the enemy state to give up. When territorial conquest and annexati

Author

Alexander B. Downes

Publisher

Cornell University Press; University Presses Marketing [distributor]

Published

2008

Language

EN

ISBN

9780801457296

Subjects

Sociology, History, Political Science