Bookrate

Mandel (international affairs, Lewis and Clark College) seeks to enlighten scholars and national security policy makers as he examines the supposition that a bloodless war, given new technologies and attitudes, may be a possibility. He describes how casualty aversion can become a priority in military intervention, how it has both strengths and weaknesses, how precision and non-lethal weaponry has changed war, and how disrupting the flow of information compares to psychological operations. He offers advice on the dangers and conditional utility of seeking bloodless war, and closes with advice on the possible impact of bloodless war on security policies. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)