The heart of war : on power, conflict and obligation in the twenty-first century / Gwyn Prins.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Military forces are now confronted, not only with the non-conventional threats of terrorism, but with the moral dilemmas of humanitarian intervention and human rights. This is a controversial look at the changing face of war and the role of the military in the 21st century.

part 1. Our intimate relationships with war -- 1. War, peace and the future of history -- 2. Cold wars : the phantom menace : part 1 -- 3. The outside and the inside of civil and uncivil war -- 4. A brief (and critical) encounter with academic security studies -- part 2. Rights, duty and the uses of force -- 5. Intervention in contention -- 6. Strategic raiding -- 7. Command in the new era -- part 3. The nuclear issue in the new era -- 8. Some pointers towards thinking about the nuclear issue in the century.