Humanising warfare, or why Van Creveld may be missing the 'big picture'

It is the larger social context which Martin van Creveld does not address i n an otherwise spirited and thoughtful paper. First of all, the civilian an d military worlds are converging very fast and the 'feminisation of the mil itary' is yet another manifestation of the closing of the gap between the t wo worlds; it is another feature not of the decline but revaluation of sold iering as a profession. Reflecting new civil values, it can be said that we are witnessing the rise of a new kind of soldier, not one who has gone 'so ft' but one who has become, by necessity, more humane.