After the end of World War II, covert war became the primary means of violence between cold war adversaries. While nuclear weapons made all-out war unacceptable, ideological differences fueled a ferocious struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union. The second edition contains chapters on covert war and the relationship between law and the control of violence. Each chapter was includes analyses of every act of war through the Reagan years, including material on events including the Iran/Contra affair, the invasion of Grenada, and conflicts in Nicaragua, the Persian Gulf, and El Salvador.