Main description:

"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:

1. Modern War and Mass Killing 2. The Revolt of the Admirals and the Limits of Mass Destruction 3. The Hydrogen Bomb and the Limits of Noncombatant Immunity 4. A "Limited" War in Korea 5. Taming the Bomb 6. Korean Refugees and Warnings 7. The Thermonuclear Challenge 8. The Uneasy Reconciliation