This work surveys armed conflicts since World War II in which one opponent is much stronger than the other. She then focuses on the experiences of Britain's decolonization after World War II and the United States' Iraq war beginning in 2003. The case studies focus on the economics, domestic politics, and international factors that ultimately shaped military events more than military capacity and strategy.

Preface : asymmetric conflicts : an equation with many unknowns -- Acknowledgments -- Origin and development of the asymmetric conflict concept -- Identifying the asymmetry factor in armed conflicts -- The dissolution of the British Empire and asymmetric conflicts in dependencies -- The US war in Iraq, 2003-2009 -- Conclusion : analyzing asymmetric conflicts using the model.