"Special operations" conjures images of SAS commandos in the Falklands, black-clad supermen taking out hijackers, or super-hackers in virtual wars. "Special" by virtue of training and employment, these elite military forces continue to be deployed by major powers. In Force of Choice top-ranking American, British, Canadian, and German officials discuss special operations within the context of the new demands created by the war on terror. Contributors, many with practical military experience, argue that strategic planners and political leaders must reconcile the historical reality of special operations with the new circumstances in which countries like Canada must now pursue international security and stability, especially when the line between special and conventional is being redrawn.