The 21st Century began with the declaration of the War on Terror. Since then, over a million people have died as a direct result of the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. The book analyzes the mechanisms of legitimation that enabled such massive and uncounted deaths. It begins by looking at twentieth century warfare. It investigates international and national laws, advanced warring technology, media and state propaganda, and argues that these structures have enabled and legitimated the killing of innocent populations around the world. The book focuses on WWII, the Holocaust, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War and the War on Terror. It aims to shed light on the different mechanisms that sanction massive killing in wartime. It is especially useful to university students, in addition to anyone who is interested in conflict, war codes, extreme death and torture, media war coverage and representations, modern warfare and the War on Terror.