THEATRUM BELLI

Inside the Beltway, the military, media, and pundits are all awaiting the president's decision on the strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. But for more people outside, the decision for war has already been made. Virtual war that is.

"Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 2" is the new video game phenomenon in which the player fights in contemporary conflict zones. As part of a US special operations team, the player roams everywhere from Afghanistan to the Caucasus, winning hearts and minds with a mix of machine pistols and Predator drone strikes. The players also fight out in range of potential new conflict zones, from the rough urban favelas of Brazil to a simulated Russian invasion of Washington, D.C., and the Virginia suburbs (This is actually a major flaw in the game ; any invasion force would clearly get stuck in traffic at the Interstate 95 Mixing Bowl).