ABSTRACT
The chapters below address questions rarely addressed by political and military leaders engaged in protected violent conflict, either formally or informally. These questions concern the plight of civilians in war, particularly regarding the causes and preconditions of their extreme vulnerability to war’s tumult. Why are war’s weakest participants—civilian noncombatants—subjected to a higher degree of devastation than combatants in today’s protracted violent conflicts? What accounts for the very high numbers of civilian casualties compared to combatants of state-run militaries? Why are women and children frequently targeted by martial forces? What are the underlying mechanisms of warfare that continue to devastate civilians?
