The fallacy of guerilla warfare -- Materially optimal behavior -- Politically achievable behavior -- Hezbollah in the 2006 Lebanon Campaign -- The Jaish al Mahdi in Iraq, 2003-2008 -- The Somali National Alliance in Somalia, 1992-1994 -- The ZNG, HV, and SVK in the Croatian Wars of Independence, 1991-1995 -- The Vietcong in the Second Indochina War, 1965-1968 -- Conclusion and implications.

Peace-Maintenance explores the controversial concept that has evolved from diplomatic peacekeeping and military peace-enforcement. Jarat Chopra, the architect of peace-maintenance, outlines the limitations of traditional peacekeeping principles reliant on the increasingly questionable consent of belligerents. He traces the evolution of the political, administrative, legal and judicial ingredients of international authority. He draws on his extensive experience of peace operations with the United Nations, using many examples to illustrate the context and evolution of peace-maintenance, including in-depth studies of Somalia and Western Sahara.

Oil, diamonds, timber, food aid - just some of the suggestions put forward as explanations for African wars in the past decade. Another set of suggestions focuses on ethnic and clan considerations. These economic and ethnic or clan explanations contend that wars are specifically not fought by states for political interests with mainly conventional military means, as originally suggested by Carl von Clausewitz in the 19th century. This study shows how alternative social organizations to the state can be viewed as political actors using war as a political instrument.