Abstract:
Five overlooked wars, in areas as diverse as Arctic Russia, Nicaragua, the mud flats of Korea and rustic West Virginia, and spanning more than four centuries, give a valuable insight into the futility of war at the same time helping explain why people will fight. This insight can be valuable as we move through the turbulent twenty-first century and once again illustrates that those who will not learn from history are destined to repeat the same mistakes again and again. Though small compared to the World Wars, these conflicts offer a valuable understanding into the nature of combat.