Defining and explaining civilian victimization -- Statistical tests : civilian victimization, mass killing, and civilian casualties in interstate wars -- The starvation blockades of World War I : Britain and Germany -- Strategic bombing in World War II : the firebombing of Japan and the blitz -- Guerrilla warfare, counterinsurgency, and civilian victimization : the second Anglo-Boer War -- Territorial annexation and civilian victimization : the founding of the state of Israel, 1947-49 -- Negative cases : why civilian victimization doesn't happen
Summary
By exploring several historical cases (some as recent as the 1991 Persian Gulf War), the author examines why democratic and authoritarian governments alike will sometimes deliberately kill large numbers of civilians as a matter of military strategy
