Technology and the Problem of Civilian Casualties in War

Abstract

The nineteenth-century military theorist Carl von Clausewitz famously described war as the continuation of politics by other means. The status of his claim remains a matter of great importance today. Western liberals no longer see war as a normal means of settling differences between states. Nevertheless, many of them feel forced to conclude that sometimes war provides the only course of action for upholding international peace and security. It is therefore important that war remains a viable instrument of policy.