Collateral Damage: Americans, Noncombatant Immunity, and Atrocity after World War II

Front Cover
Routledge, Jan 11, 2013 - History - 296 pages

"Collateral damage" is a military term for the inadvertent casualties and destruction inflicted on civilians in the course of military operations. In Collateral Damage: Americans, Noncombatant Immunity, and Atrocity after World War II, Sahr Conway-Lanz chronicles the history of America's attempt to reconcile the ideal of sparing civilians with the reality that modern warfare results in the killing of innocent people. Drawing on policymakers' response to the issues raised by the atrocities of World War II and the use of the atomic bomb, as well as the ongoing debate by the American public and the media as the Korean War developed, Conway-Lanz provides a comprehensive examination of modern American discourse on the topic of civilian casualties and provides a fascinating look at the development of what is now commonly known as collateral damage.

 

Contents

Modern War and Mass Killing
The Revolt of the Admirals and the Limits of Mass Destruction
The Hydrogen Bomb and the Limits of Noncombatant Immunity
A Limited War in Korea
Taming the Bomb
Korean Refugees and Warnings
The Thermonuclear Challenge
An Uneasy Reconciliation
Select Bibliography
Notes
Index
Copyright

Other editions - View all

Collateral Damage: Americans, Noncombatant Immunity, and Atrocity After ...
Sahr Conway-Lanz
No preview available - 2006
Collateral Damage: Americans, Noncombatant Immunity, and Atrocity After ...
Sahr Conway-Lanz
No preview available - 2006

Common terms and phrases

Admiral Air Force Air Force’s air power American soldiers areas argued armed forces Army atomic bomb atomic weapons August believed bomb’s bombers Central Decimal Files Chief of Information Chief of Staff cities civilian populations claimed Committee Commonweal Communiques and Press Communist concern conventional December Defense destroy devastation editorial Eisenhower enemy enemy’s February genocide Gun Ri harm to noncombatants harming civilians hearings hydrogen bomb indiscriminate destruction innocent issue January July Korean civilians Korean War Korean War Communiques massively destructive memorandum military targets moral napalm Navy Navy’s noncombatant immunity norm of noncombatant North Korean November October October 12 Office Ofstie Philadelphia Bulletin Plans Press Releases refugees Saturday Evening Post Secretary September Sinuiju Soviet Union Staff for Operations strategic bombing tactical nuclear weapons Truman U.N. Command U.N. forces U.S. military University Press Vietnam villages violence war’s warnings Washington Post World Report World War II wrote York

About the author (2013)

Sahr Conway-Lanz is a historian and archivist. He holds a Ph.D. in the history of American foreign relations from Harvard University.

Bibliographic information

QR code for Collateral Damage
TitleCollateral Damage: Americans, Noncombatant Immunity, and Atrocity after World War II
AuthorSahr Conway-Lanz
PublisherRoutledge, 2013
ISBN1136771239, 9781136771231
Length296 pages
Subjects ›  ›  › 

History / General
History / Modern / 20th Century / General
History / Wars & Conflicts / World War II / General
  
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