ISBN 0-553-04955-125 (US pbk)

"In their remarkable new book, two of the world's leading futurists and social thinkers turn to a subject that has haunted mankind since its origins: war. Beginning with a provocative analysis of warfare in the past, they offer intriguing insights into today's military conflicts -- and an eye-opening portrait of the future face of battle. Their premise is that the forms of war follow forms of economic activity. In pre-industrial agrarian societies, men fought hand-to-hand. With the age of mass production came mass destruction -- the savage bombing sorties of World War II and Vietnam, as well as the omnipresent threat of nuclear annihilation. The 'smart bombs' of the Gulf conflict, they warn, are precursors of what war could become as the information age unfolds: a battlefield dominated by 'intelligent' weapons systems, from tiny, antlike robots that crawl into an adversary's headquarters to 'autonomous arms' that, once programmed, decide for themselves when -- and towards whom -- to fire. The authors show how changes in the media business and the global economy are blurring the distinction between news and psychological warfare, and they call for 'bloodless battle' as a new approach to world peace.

"The Tofflers' fascination with war and peace began a decade ago when they met two brilliant US generals who had been influenced by their book The Third Wave . Since that time, the Tofflers have interviewed business and military leaders, politicians, and statesmen worldwide in their research for War and Anti-War . The Tofflers now firmly believe that new forms of war require new forms of peace-making -- and that by describing the horrifying realities of future war, they can help open up exciting strategies for future peace." [jacket blurb, UK hbk, 1994]