328
pages,
$29.95/£14.95
cloth
| |
|
Cornell
University Press is pleased to announce the publication
of Alexander B. Downes' Targeting Civilians in
War, which explores the circumstances under which
democratic and authoritarian governments alike will
sometimes deliberately kill large numbers of civilians
as a matter of military strategy. This timely volume is
available at the Cornell University Press website (www.cornellpress.cornell.edu) or by
calling our customer service department at
1-800-666-2211. Customers in Europe and the U.K. may
order the book from NBN International (www.nbninternational.com).
Sincerely,
Mahinder
Kingra, Marketing Manager
Cornell University
Press
P.S.
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| About Targeting Civilians in
War |
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
annexation are the aims of warfare, the population of
the disputed land is viewed as a threat and the
aggressor state may target those civilians to remove
them. Democracies historically have proven especially
likely to target civilians in desperate
circumstances.
In Targeting Civilians in
War, Downes explores several major recent
conflicts, including the 1991 Persian Gulf War and the
American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Civilian
casualties occurred in each campaign, but they were not
the aim of military action. In these cases, Downes
maintains, the achievement of quick and decisive
victories against overmatched foes allowed democracies
to win without abandoning their normative beliefs by
intentionally targeting civilians. Whether such
"restraint" can be guaranteed in future conflicts
against more powerful adversaries is, however,
uncertain. During times of war, democratic societies
suffer tension between norms of humane conduct and
pressures to win at the lowest possible costs. The
painful lesson of Targeting Civilians in
War is that when these two concerns clash, the
latter usually
prevails. | |
Praise
for Targeting Civilians
in War
|
"This
is a magnificent work and towering achievement. With
both innovative historical studies and comprehensive
statistical analysis, Downes powerfully demonstrates an
original and disturbing thesis-that democracies are just
as likely as autocracies to target civilians in war, and
even more so when they fear that they will lose. All
scholars of international security and military history
should read this book, and we would all benefit if
policy advisors did also."
--James Kurth, Claude
Smith Professor of Political Science, Swarthmore
College
"This is a powerful and disturbing study
of the dark side of democracy. 'Democratic Peace Theory'
has shown that democracies rarely fight each other.
Alexander B. Downes demonstrates, however, that when
democracies do go to war, they often fight with their
gloves off, ignoring principles of noncombatant
immunity. "
--Scott D. Sagan, Stanford
University
"In twenty years, people wanting to
understand the critically important subject of civilian
victimization will turn to this book. Alexander B.
Downes argues that the decision to victimize civilians
depends primarily on the strategic incentives to do so,
regardless of whether the countries involved are
democratic. Downes also finds that factors relating to
'identity'--whether the enemy is a different race or
culture--are also insignificant. Targeting Civilians in
War will become a classic in the field of
security studies."
--Daryl G. Press, Dartmouth
College
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