# Progressive war

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{{Short description|Military strategy}}
{{One source|date=January 2009}}
'''Progressive war'''<ref>[Caleb, Carr](/source/Caleb_Carr) (2002). ''The Lessons of Terror: A History of Warfare Against Civilians: Why It Has Always Failed and Why It Will Fail Again''. Random House, Inc. {{ISBN|0-375-50843-0}}</ref> is a [military strategy](/source/military_strategy) in which only enemy [combatants](/source/combatants) are targeted, and [non-combatants](/source/non-combatants) killed or wounded by [collateral damage](/source/collateral_damage) are kept to a minimum. Its principles were established by Dutch jurist [Hugo Grotius](/source/Hugo_Grotius), who is considered to be a founder of [international law](/source/international_law), in his book ''[De jure belli ac pacis libri tres](/source/De_jure_belli_ac_pacis_libri_tres)'' ("On the Law of War and Peace: Three Books"), published in 1625. A successful practitioner was [Helmuth von Moltke the Elder](/source/Helmuth_von_Moltke_the_Elder), as chief of staff of the [Prussian Army](/source/Prussian_Army) in the 19th century.

The opposite of progressive war is  unlimited war, which includes [civilians](/source/civilians) as legitimate targets. Unlimited war uses military action against civilians, in the hope of undermining the will to fight by the people and their leaders so that they end their resistance. Examples of unlimited war are [cluster bomb](/source/cluster_bomb)s, the [firebombing of Dresden](/source/bombing_of_Dresden_in_World_War_II), the German bombing of British cities during [the Blitz](/source/the_Blitz), the [firebombing of Tokyo](/source/firebombing_of_Tokyo) and the [atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki](/source/atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki).

The philosophy of unlimited war is controversial. Many consider it a form of [terrorism](/source/terrorism) in the sense of deliberately attacking noncombatants in the hope of changing their mindset. Such ambiguities between unlimited warfare and terrorist strategies could be the source of why many terrorist groups consider themselves honourable fighters, and many consider the [US military](/source/US_military) to be terrorists.

[Guerrilla warfare](/source/Guerrilla_warfare) can be considered progressive if it is only enemy combatants that are targeted, but it becomes terrorism when noncombatants are targeted.{{according to whom|date=January 2018}}

==References==
<references/>

Category:War
Category:Military terminology

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