Sven Lindqvist's 'A History of Bombing' Explores Aerial Warfare's Colonial Origins

Sven Lindqvist's book 'A History of Bombing' (published by La Découverte) traces the evolution of aerial bombardment from its colonial origins to modern drone warfare. The narrative begins with early science fiction that depicted bombing as a divine instrument of peace, but Lindqvist reveals that in reality, bombing was first used to suppress colonial revolts, as ground operations were too costly in distant territories. On November 1, 1911, an Italian pilot dropped a grenade over Libya, inaugurating aerial bombing. The book, structured as a choose-your-own-adventure, explores how bombing progressively distanced combatants from their victims, culminating in contemporary drone operators killing from thousands of kilometers away, caught between boredom and video-game-like excitement. Lindqvist questions whether burning entire cities with incendiary bombs, damaging civilian structures, and killing innocent populations far from front lines constitutes a crime against humanity, but notes that necessity overrides conventions. The review by Alexandre Mare in artpress highlights the book's explosive, nonlinear structure.