Question

What is the difference between a limited war and a total war?

Limited war focuses on destroying the enemy and has a limited goal. With total war, the goals are not limited and are often numerous and specific.

Limited war does not target civilians or infrastructure because the invading force is planning to keep the land they conquer. With a total war, those limits do not exist because the goal is destruction of the enemy.

Limited war targets civilians and infrastructure because it has a limited scope of focus, while total war targets everything because it has no focus.

Limited war does not target civilians or infrastructure because of the rules of engagement that both sides agree to ahead of time. Total war does not have agreed-upon rules of engagement.

Answer 1

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

In summary, the key differences between limited war and total war are the goals, targets, and rules of engagement. Limited war has specific and limited goals, does not target civilians or infrastructure, and follows agreed-upon rules of engagement. Total war, on the other hand, has numerous and unlimited goals, targets everything including civilians and infrastructure, and does not adhere to any specific rules of engagement.