This course examines the causes, conduct, and consequences of the major conventional wars fought since 1945. It will explain reasons for the shift of war from Europe to the non-European world; changes in the way war has been conducted, with particular emphasis on technological change and the impact on the battlefield and on non-combatants; and changes in the way military forces are created, commanded and used. These themes will be illustrated through a series of case studies from the Korean War to the war in Iraq.