"War... is merely an idea, an institution, like dueling or slavery, that has been grafted onto human existence. It is not a trick of fate, a thunderbolt from hell, a natural calamity, or a desperate plot contrivance dreamed up by some sadistic puppeteer on high. And it seems to me that the institution is in pronounced decline, abandoned as attitudes toward it have changed, roughly following the pattern by which the ancient and formidable institution of slavery became discredited and then mostly obsolete."—from the Introduction War is one of the great themes of human history and now, John Mueller believes, it is clearly declining. Developed nations have generally abandoned it as a way for conducting their relations with other countries, and most current warfare (though not all) is opportunistic predation waged by packs—often remarkably small ones—of criminals and bullies. Thus, argues Mueller, war has been substantially reduced to its remnants—or dregs—and thugs are the residual combatants. Mueller is sensitive to the policy implications of this view. When developed states commit disciplined troops to peacekeeping, the result is usually a rapid cessation of murderous disorder. The Remnants of War thus reinvigorates our sense of the moral responsibility bound up in peacekeeping. In Mueller's view, capable domestic policing and military forces can also be effective in reestablishing civic order, and the building of competent governments is key to eliminating most of what remains of warfare.

Donovan Webster''s study into the after effec ts of modern warfare shows how battlefields are transformed and carry terrible legacies of enduring terror and memories. He shows how the more effective the weaponry the worse the legacy for the survivors. '

On 17 April 1975, the Khmer Rouge armies defeated the Lon Nol regime and took Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, dispersing its more than two million inhabitants to a life of hard agricultural labour in the countryside. During the next four years, the Khmer Rouge - headed by Pol Pot - terrorised the population. Along with haunting landscapes, the stark, powerful portraits in War Remnants of the Khmer Rouge portray those who suffered greatly under the genocide of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.

Mueller argues that war is an idea, like dueling or slavery, that has been substantially discredited, reduced to its remnants--or dregs--and thugs are the residual combatants.

During the Second World War, Canadian factories produced mountains of munitions and supplies, including some 800 ships, 16,000 aircraft, 800,000 vehicles, and over 4.6 billion rounds of ammunition and artillery shells. Although they were crucial to winning the war, these assets turned into peacetime liabilities when hostilities ended in 1945. Drawing on comprehensive archival research, Alex Souchen provides a definitive account of the disposal crisis triggered by Allied victory and shows how policymakers implemented a disposal strategy that facilitated postwar reconstruction. Canadians responded to the unprecedented divestment of public property by reusing and recycling military surpluses to improve their postwar lives. War Junk recounts the complex political, economic, social, and environmental legacies of munitions disposal in Canada by revealing how the tools of war became integral to the making of postwar Canada.

A US Special Forces operator and veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Richard Daniels is weary of serving government officials. Ensconced deep in the Florida Everglades, Daniels flies out of his own base of operations, rescuing wealthy refugees from dangerous situations then using the funds to extract unfortunates facing the same dangers. When two shadowy government-types attempt to hire Daniels and his team, Daniels flatly refuses. Then his seaplane is impounded, a federal warrant is issued for his arrest, and Deeno, an honorary team member with Downs Syndrome, is detained on federal charges. Daniels' mind is changed. His new mission: In exchange for Deeno's freedom, hunt down and return "Bio", a genetically enhanced soldier gone rogue. Simple enough; Bio is already a proven killer. But when Daniels finds the diary of the last man Bio killed... plans change. THE REMNANTS OF WAR, in series order The Last Operation The Doppelganger Protocol The Devil's Eye Twilight of Demons