Add BookmarkChildren at War
From U.S. soldiers having to fight children in Afghanistan and Iraq to juvenile terrorists in Sri Lanka to Palestine, the new, younger face of battle is a terrible reality of 21st century warfare. Indeed, the very first American soldier killed by hostile fire in the "War on Terrorism" was shot by a fourteen-year-old Afghan boy. Children at War is the first comprehensive examination of a disturbing and escalating phenomenon: the use of children as soldiers around the globe. Interweaving explan... (show more)
From U.S. soldiers having to fight children in Afghanistan and Iraq to juvenile terrorists in Sri Lanka to Palestine, the new, younger face of battle is a terrible reality of 21st century warfare. Indeed, the very first American soldier killed by hostile fire in the "War on Terrorism" was shot by a fourteen-year-old Afghan boy. Children at War is the first comprehensive examination of a disturbing and escalating phenomenon: the use of children as soldiers around the globe. Interweaving explanatory narrative with the voices of child soldiers themselves, P.W. Singer, an internationally recognized expert in modern warfare, introduces the brutal reality of conflict, where children are sent off to fight in war-torn hotspots from Colombia and the Sudan to Kashmir and Sierra Leone. He explores the evolution of this phenomenon, how and why children are recruited, indoctrinated, trained, and converted to soldiers and then lays out the consequences for global security, with a special case study on terrorism. With this established, he lays out the responses that can end this horrible practice. What emerges is not only a compelling and clarifying read on the darker reality of modern warfare, but also a clear and urgent call for action. (show less)
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Reviews (See all 13) Write a reviewfor this
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I was amazed when I read this. I love Singer's way of writing, and the quotes that he uses. It really opened my eyes to such horribleness that I was not familiar with.
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A heart-wrenching subject that deserves more attention. Generally well researched and some of the anecdotes of individual experiences were so powerful that I had to pause and put down the book for a minute. Sometimes the amount of statistics was overbearing and eventually descriptions of the the different waring factions blurred into one big horrible group of 'bad guys'. Some great recommendations at the end though.
However, as a proto-lawyer and Canadian, there were two things that bothered... (show more)
A heart-wrenching subject that deserves more attention. Generally well researched and some of the anecdotes of individual experiences were so powerful that I had to pause and put down the book for a minute. Sometimes the amount of statistics was overbearing and eventually descriptions of the the different waring factions blurred into one big horrible group of 'bad guys'. Some great recommendations at the end though.
However, as a proto-lawyer and Canadian, there were two things that bothered me. First, several times the book presents as fact that Omar Khadr committed the crimes of which he's accused. He's presumed innocent until proven otherwise. Moreover, the US government has finally released it's evidence, which shows contradictory testimony.
Second, international war crimes tribunals have indicted several accused war criminals for recruiting child soldiers since at least 2003. While I don't think any have been convicted of this crime yet, their being charged is a landmark that probably should have been noted.
On the legal plus side though, Mr. Singer's analysis of the U.S.'s lack of participation in the International Criminal Court is persuasive. (show less)
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