Nasty and Brutish But Not Short [review of "Wired for War: Wired For War: The Robotics Revolution And Conflict In The Twenty-First Century" (Singer, P.W.; 2009)]

The author explores the relationship between war and millitary technology. The author has been our best chronicler of the hidden dimensions of the often hidden wars that now plague the U.S. and the world. His two earlier books described the expanding privatized U.S. military industry and the use of child soldiers, respectively,1 while Wired for War is an account of the latest (and prospective) "hi-tech" weapons systems, the evolution of military doctrine governing their employment, and the changes high-tech weapons introduce into both the military and humanitarian dimensions of war. Singer highlights the signifi cant lack of understanding, on the part of the public and of public offi cials, of many wider political and social dimensions of high-tech weaponry.