In an era when the American military increasingly finds itself in situations where civilians and combatants can be difficult to distinguish between, and when the line between soldiering and policy has blurred, nonlethal weapons could prove useful. At the same time, such nonlethals might be abused, like any other weapon.

Still, in a world where the tolerance for "collateral" casualties is fast diminishing and where soldiers return home haunted by their "kills," such novel weapons, if made to work, could well make war less hellish.