Your statement is a bit unclear, but any of these could be considered a 'major' war given their place on the casualty list at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lis

Your statement is a bit unclear, but any of these could be considered a 'major' war given their place on the casualty list at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_by_death_toll http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_by_death_toll I excerpted the top few items that extend in whole or in part past the cutoff date of 1945 that they chose. 7,500,000 – Chinese Civil War (1927–1949)[11] 2,500,000–5,400,000 – Second Congo War/Great War of Africa (1998–2003)[17][18][19][20] 800,000–3,800,000[24] – Vietnam War/Second Indochina War (1955–1975)[25][26] 1,000,000 – Iran–Iraq War/First Persian Gulf War (1980–1988)[28] 1,000,000 Biafra War (1967-1970) 957,865–1,622,865 – Soviet war in Afghanistan (1979–1989)[30][31][32] 400,000 – Civil war in Afghanistan (1989–92), Civil war in Afghanistan (1992–96) and Civil war in Afghanistan (1996–2001) (1989–2001)[37] 350,000–1,500,000 - Algerian War of Independence (1954–1962)[38] 300,000–3,000,000[41] – Bangladesh Liberation War (1971) 300,000 – Second Burundian Civil War (1993–2005)[42] 300,000 (TFG)–500,000+ (AFP) – Somali Civil War[43][44][45] [Dates not listed, wiki article puts it in the 80s-90s] 272,000–1,260,009 – War on Terror (2001–present)[46][47][48] 202,354–282,354 – Syrian Civil War (2011–present), see Casualties of the Syrian civil war 200,000 – Colombian conflict (1964–present) (1964–present)[50] [+ many more] I note that a lot of these were 'civil' wars. I understand the book excluding those. I am not clear on the logic behind why. I do not know of a way to define a 'major war' that is not arbitrary.