"In this analysis, Mary Kaldor argues that, in the context of globalization, what we think of as war - that is to say, war between states in which the aim is to inflict maximum violence - is becoming an anachronism. In its place is a new type of organized violence, which she calls new wars, which could be described as a mixture of war, organized crime and massive violations of human rights. The actors are both global and local, public and private. The wars are fought for particularistic political goals using tactics of terror and destabilization that are theoretically outlawed by the rules of modern warfare. An informal criminalized economy is built into the functioning of the new wars."

Introduction -- Old wars -- Bosnia-Herzegovina: a case study of a new war -- The politics of new wars -- The globalized war economy -- Towards a cosmopolitan approach -- Governance, legitimacy and security.