ABSTRACT
In previous chapters we examined the complexities of various elements of modern warfare. We examined the plight of a major category of war’s participants—civilian noncombatants—and how they are often cast as objects in the landscape of war. Let us consider the following question: What is a battlefield? If we expand our definition, we see that it is more than just a zone of lethal combat, but also an area of political rule and a region where power (and the lack of it) is defined and imposed by martial forces. Within this zone, civilian residents and visiting combatants are characterized by political (and military) terms. The political order in this region is overseen by a wide range of rules, directives, principles, doctrines, and commands that entitle martial forces to dominate over noncombatants.
