Virtual War - Softcover

Michael Ignatieff

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0141000341 ISBN 13: 9780141000343

Publisher: Penguin Books, 2001

Synopsis

In "real"wars, whole nations are mobilized, soldiers fight and die, victories are won. In virtual war, hostilities may not even be declared; the combatants are strike pilots and computer programmers; the watching nation is a television audience; and instead of victory there is only an uncertain endgame.

The conflict in Kosovo in 1999 moved armed aggression into this new phase. Combining superb reportage and shrewd political analysis, Michael Ignatieff examines this strange, remote type of warfare through the eyes of its key players. Probing, challenging, and profound, Virtual War raises fundamental questions about warfare and human values in the new millennium.

"A joy to read ... It would be harder to find clearer or more elegant examples of contemporary reportage ... Polished prose technique, eye for the telling of detail and talent for historical exposition."—The Sunday Times

About this title

About the Author

Michael Ignatieff is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker and The New York Review of Books, among other publications and the author of many acclaimed books including Blood and Belonging, Isaiah Berlin, The Warrior's Honor, The Russian Album, and The Needs of Strangers. He lives in London and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Review

“Ignatieff has produced a work that is both intellectually unflinching and genuinely open-minded. Ostensibly a consideration on the moral and political implications of the West's military intervention in Kosovo, the book is in fact the best exploration of both the operational and moral dilemmas of humanitarian war that has yet been written . . . A considerable achievement.” ―David Rieff, Los Angeles Times Book Review

“Arresting . . . Helps combat many of the cliched images we have of the Balkans, and explain how the world's most powerful military alliance had its credibility put to the test in a long-neglected corner of Europe.” ―Michael Dobbs, The Washington Post Book World

“A talented and versatile writer, Ignatieff takes up the central moral issues raised by the intervention . . . The shadows across his path give his book poignancy and engagement.” ―Fouad Ajami, The New York Times Book Review

“Virtual wars lead to a 'less stable world,'' he concludes, because the victors do not stay, do not 'bring order.' Animated with emotion: informed, documented, and essential.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“Vividly reported and thoughtful . . . Something like the Yugoslav tangle may confront us again,and Ignatieff's book will help our thinking if and when the time comes again to unleash the dogs of virtual war.” ―Bruce Nelan, Time magazine

“Especially vivid and accessible . . . Ignatieff combine[s] fine reportage and sophisticated reflection.” ―Timothy Garton Ash, The New York Review of Books

“Citizens or their representatives will periodically clamor for the military to intervene. When they do, the military will go. It is useful, therefore, to read Ignatieff to better understand the conditions of these kinds of missions. From that understanding, we may reach insights that may allow us to find solutions, or at least to stop the killing.” ―Col. Gregory Fontenot, Army

“Ignatieff is one of the most thoughtful commentators. He combines superior reporting with provocative and troubling insights on the world we've inherited.” ―The New York Review of Booksr

“To the illumination of dark deeds on the killing fields, Ignatieff brings a poetic sensibility and a lyrical style. His insights succeed brilliantly.” ―David Fromkin, Foreign Affairs

“It is not easy to categorize Michael Ignatieff. He writes something very like moral philosophy. . . . A talent for historical exposition marks everything he writes. Cultural commentator is near the mark, but perhaps public moralist would be the proper description.” ―Alan Ryan, The New York Times Book Review

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0141000341
• ISBN 13: 9780141000343
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256