1. Ch 13. Changing character of war
Valeri suhorukov

2. 1.Introduction
In past 2 centuries – the ‘modern era history’ – war has been seen as brutal form of politics, when states sought to resolve issues in int relations, amass military power for defense and deterrence.
In the post-cold War period, the kinds of threats have not taken the form of traditional state-to-state military rivalry (rather more unpredictable threats emerged terrorism, insurgencies, internal crises etc )

3. 1.1 The utility of warfare
Carl von Clausewitz argued that the fundamental nature of war as the use of violence in pursuit of political goals is immutable. In contrast, the forms of war relate to impermanent and adaptive due to the different periods of warfare throughout the history, different socio-political and historical preconditions, while also influencing those conditions.
Clausewitz distinguished between objective and subjective nature of war:
comprises common elements of to all wars
consists of features that makes the war unique.
For Clausewitz new characteristics of war are not the result of inventions, but of new ideas and social conditions.

4. Changes in international system may be changing the character of war.
New fields of warfare have emerged
The battlefield became a battlespace (airpower, use of space satellites and cyberspace)
The tangible capacity has also been developing.
Military technology is becoming more available to more states.

5. 2. Definitions Carl von Clausewitz:
War is “an act of force intended to compel our opponents to fulfil our will” and “a continuation of political intercourse with a mixture of other means”.
Hedley Bull
War is “organized violence carried on by political units against each other”.
Quincy Wright
War is a “conflict among political groups, especially sovereign states, carried on by armed forces of considerable magnitude, for a considerable period of time”.

6. 3. The nature of war. Specific features 3.1 War and society
War is a form of social and political behavior. (Central argument of Clausewitz)
Contemporary warfare takes place in local level, but also played out in wider fields and influenced by non-governmental organizations, intergovernmental organizations, regional and global media and users of the internet.
War is an extremely paradoxical activity.
The conduct of war requires a society to cooperate in internal level, but they feel themselves compelled to fight other societies because they often find it difficult to cooperate at the external level. Fighting outsiders may make it easier to cooperate internally. (Unless war is a civil war or war is highly unpopular domestically)
War is both highly organized and highly organizing phenomenon.
Charles Tilly: “war made the state and the state made war”.
The need to survive in a competitive and violent era favored larger, more centralized political units

7. 3.2 Modernity and warfare
The period of modernity was characterized by:
-rise of nationalism
-centralized and bureaucratic states
-rapidly rising populations
-scientific and industrial revolutions
-growth of secular ideologies (such as Marxism)
States expected their population to sacrifice themselves for the state.
The conflicts between developed countries, was governed by rules.
International law was developed to Constrain and regulate the use of violence in wartime.
Quincy Wright: War is “a condition of time in which special rules permitting and regulating violence between governments prevails” – important feature distinguishing war from other forms of violence.

8. 3.3 War and change War requires highly organized societies
 Contemporary warfare is being influenced by globalization
War requires highly organized societies
war can be powerful catalyst for change.
The nature of war remain constant, but its form reflects the particular era and environment in which it occurs.

9. 4. The revolution in military affairs. (RMA)
Future conflicts would be decided by the possession of technological advantages
Future advances in military technology mean that the whole character of war will change
However, the RMA emphasis on military technology and tactics risks an over-simplistic picture, it also neglects non-technological factors.
Opponents with little or no access to RMA technology are likely to use asymmetric warfare to fight the war on their own terms
 RMA suggests that the possibility of using so-called smart weapons to achieve quick , clean victory of the war.

10. 5. Post modern war
One of the feature of this evolution is the increased role of the media.
It became crucial as it shapes understandings of particular wars. Media warfare has made war more transparent.
Another postmodern development has been the increasing “outsourcing” of war.
Now more and more states have contracted out key military services to private corporations. Privatized military companies (PMCs) reflects a broader global trend towards the privatization of public assets.
Another feature is total war. The effects of the Industrial revolution and the advent of democracy and modern bureaucracy, had combined to “nationalize” war to involve the whole society.
Nuclear taboo – new development in the global system. Because of their long range and wide-spread effects, the nuclear weapons of major powers are an example of military globalization, and this has been reflected in nuclear proliferation.

11. 6. New wars.
The driving force of this new wars is globalization, that is why they are related to disintegration and collapse of states
The significant feature of these conflicts is that combats focus on questions of identity, which is the result of the pressures produced by globalization.  
The relationship between identity and war is also shifting in terms of gender and age of combatants.
The causes of international conflicts are often related to poverty.
“New wars” are typical for failed countries, where the government lost control of the significant part of the territory and lacks the resources to re-impose control.
Criminal activities are used in order to support the war. This emerging of a regional war zone with international criminal networks produces “open war economy” sustained by forces of globalization

12. QUESTIONS In what ways are wars examples of cooperative behavior?
Why do some authors believe that war between the current great powers is unlikely?
Has war become more brutal since the end of the cold war?