ABSTRACT
The fact that there is no barbarization of warfare as such has the important consequence that it makes little sense to try to explain such a historical shift. This chapter explains the four alleged differences between new and old wars: The discussion of the first three differences is strongly indebted to Kalyvas, New and Old Civil Wars. The barbarism of these new wars, as they are variously called, post-modern wars, wars of the Third Kind, or Peoples Wars, allegedly differs from the civility of the old wars. Micro-studies of the allegedly highly ideological conflicts in Ireland, Vietnam, Peru, and even of the conflict between German occupiers and Russian partisans in the Second World War, show that the choice of sides was more strongly influenced by local considerations than by abstract ideological ones. Non-governmental parties in new wars tend to be described as bands of mere thugs with no popular support.
