Stephanie Carvin is Visiting Professor of International Relations at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa. While a Visiting Scholar at the George Washington University School of Law, Dr Carvin served as an expert advisor to the US Department of Defense during their writing of the new US manual on the laws of war. She is the author of Prisoners of America's Wars (2010). Michael John Williams is Reader in International Relations at the University of London. He was the head of the Transatlantic Security Programme at the Royal United Services Institute and worked in the US Senate Office of Joseph R. Biden and at the US Embassy in London. He is the author of three books and several articles on strategic aspects of international relations.

'Explaining how the American way of war has been shaped by lawyers and scientists, Carvin and Williams provide a much welcome discussion of developments in the technology of warfare (such as drones) that goes beyond the outrage that seems to be the basis of most of the current debate.' Mikkel Rasmussen, University of Copenhagen

• Introduction; 1. Law and science in the Western way of war; 2. Conceptualizing the American way of war; 3. Vietnam and the 'science' of war; 4. Immaculate destruction; 5. Revolution denied: the 'war' on terror; 6. Back to the future?

Stephanie Carvin is Visiting Professor of International Relations at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa. While a Visiting Scholar at the George Washington University School of Law, Dr Carvin served as an expert advisor to the US Department of Defense during their writing of the new US manual on the laws of war. She is the author of Prisoners of America's Wars (2010). Michael John Williams is Reader in International Relations at the University of London. He was the head of the Transatlantic Security Programme at the Royal United Services Institute and worked in the US Senate Office of Joseph R. Biden and at the US Embassy in London. He is the author of three books and several articles on strategic aspects of international relations.

'Explaining how the American way of war has been shaped by lawyers and scientists, Carvin and Williams provide a much welcome discussion of developments in the technology of warfare (such as drones) that goes beyond the outrage that seems to be the basis of most of the current debate.' Mikkel Rasmussen, University of Copenhagen

• Introduction; 1. Law and science in the Western way of war; 2. Conceptualizing the American way of war; 3. Vietnam and the 'science' of war; 4. Immaculate destruction; 5. Revolution denied: the 'war' on terror; 6. Back to the future?

Stephanie Carvin is Visiting Professor of International Relations at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa. While a Visiting Scholar at the George Washington University School of Law, Dr Carvin served as an expert advisor to the US Department of Defense during their writing of the new US manual on the laws of war. She is the author of Prisoners of America's Wars (2010). Michael John Williams is Reader in International Relations at the University of London. He was the head of the Transatlantic Security Programme at the Royal United Services Institute and worked in the US Senate Office of Joseph R. Biden and at the US Embassy in London. He is the author of three books and several articles on strategic aspects of international relations.

'Explaining how the American way of war has been shaped by lawyers and scientists, Carvin and Williams provide a much welcome discussion of developments in the technology of warfare (such as drones) that goes beyond the outrage that seems to be the basis of most of the current debate.' Mikkel Rasmussen, University of Copenhagen

• Introduction; 1. Law and science in the Western way of war; 2. Conceptualizing the American way of war; 3. Vietnam and the 'science' of war; 4. Immaculate destruction; 5. Revolution denied: the 'war' on terror; 6. Back to the future?