Palgrave Advances in Modern Military History, 2006
The history of land warfare obviously pre-dates the era of Machiavelli.1 At the same time there i... more The history of land warfare obviously pre-dates the era of Machiavelli.1 At the same time there is no doubt that Desert Storm in 1991 did not signal the end of this most brutal dimension of conflict. An important question to ask is: why is the timeframe of this chapter confined to a period of little more than five centuries, when the history of land warfare covers a span of some 14,000 years? The simple answer is that this timeframe captures the rise, apotheosis and possible decline of the concept of modern war. According to Charles Townshend, the term modern war was a product of three sources of change: technological, administrative, and ideological.2 The combined effect of these changes was to transform battle, the conduct of operations and strategy. Equally important, it apparently also played an instrumental role in creating a new political structure that came to dominate European politics: the nation state.3 Within the context of war the most important aspect of this development was that the state assumed an unassailable monopoly on the use of force. However, it now seems that this model of war is threatened by technological, economic, political and social forces that are bringing about profound changes in the ownership, organization, and use of force as an instrument of policy.4 The aim of this chapter is to explain the birth, apotheosis and possible decline of modern war.
1. Winning Hearts and Minds in the "War on Terrorism" 2. Al Qaueda and the Radical Isla... more 1. Winning Hearts and Minds in the "War on Terrorism" 2. Al Qaueda and the Radical Islamic Challenge to Western Strategy 3. Operation "Enduring Freedom": A victory for a conventional force fighting an unconventional war 4. United States Special Operations Forces and the War on Terrorism 5. Warfare by Other Means: Special forces, terrorism and grand strategy 6. Muslim, Islamists and the Cold War 7. An Ambivalent War: Russia's war on terrorism 8. 11 September 2001 and the Media 9. Bringing It All Back Home: Hollywood returns to war
Since 2001, the international community has struggled to establish Afghanistan as a viable nation... more Since 2001, the international community has struggled to establish Afghanistan as a viable nation state. Among the many challenges facing this mission has been an ongoing insurgency conducted principally by the Taliban. In spite of the continuation of the American-led counter-terrorist campaign, Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), it is currently estimated that half the country is now under the physical and psychological control of this insurgent group. A parallel mission, which had little or no bearing on the fortunes of the Taliban insurgency, at least initially, was the creation of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). ISAF was created in 2001 and is essentially a peacekeeping operation, which was intended to establish a secure environment behind which political, economic and social reconstruction of the state could commence. ISAF started slowly; its biggest problem at the start was getting states to contribute forces to it. Eventually, NATO assumed control in 2003 and its members make up the lion’s share of troop contributors. Because of these resource problems, ISAF’s initial security footprint was restricted to Kabul. Gradually, however, the force was expanded and its influence was extended to the north of the country with Phase 2 in 2004. Although this was deemed to be a success, the operation was carried out in a benign security environment and the population generally supported the efforts of the international community to help in the reconstruction of the area. More problematic and more dangerous was the proposed expansion of ISAF into the south of the country, which was seen as Taliban country. Phase 3 involved the deployment of 12,000 NATO ISAF troops in the southernmost six provinces: Day Kundi, Helmand, Kandahar, Nimroz, Urzugan, and Zabul. After much delay, caused in part by the time taken to raise the necessary forces from NATO, the organization began its deployment in the early summer of 2006. The largest contingent in this force was Defense & Security Analysis Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 201–225, June 2007
... Those who would not accept these terms were either detained or deported to China. Eventually,... more ... Those who would not accept these terms were either detained or deported to China. Eventually, the security situation in Malaya was sufficiently stable for Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman to declare Malayan independence on 31 August 1957. ...
War made the state, and the state made war, but does this statement hold true today? Will it appl... more War made the state, and the state made war, but does this statement hold true today? Will it apply in the future? The consensus is that the absence of major war within the western world, post 1945, did cause the war–state relationship to change, but each became significantly less important to the other. This article argues that the relationship was closer and deeper than has been assumed. It proposes that the peculiar strategic conditions created by the nuclear age caused states to wage a ritualistic style of war, in which demonstration rather than the physical application of violence became increasingly important. Within this setting, the state drove the process of technological innovation in defence to its limits in an effort to demonstrate its military superiority. This massive peacetime investment in defence technology exerted a huge impact on the character of war, which led to new strategic forms. However, most importantly, the diffusion of military technology also affected the...
If citing, it is advised that you check and use the publisher's definitive version for pagination... more If citing, it is advised that you check and use the publisher's definitive version for pagination, volume/issue, and date of publication details. And where the final published version is provided on the Research Portal, if citing you are again advised to check the publisher's website for any subsequent corrections.
Palgrave Advances in Modern Military History, 2006
The history of land warfare obviously pre-dates the era of Machiavelli.1 At the same time there i... more The history of land warfare obviously pre-dates the era of Machiavelli.1 At the same time there is no doubt that Desert Storm in 1991 did not signal the end of this most brutal dimension of conflict. An important question to ask is: why is the timeframe of this chapter confined to a period of little more than five centuries, when the history of land warfare covers a span of some 14,000 years? The simple answer is that this timeframe captures the rise, apotheosis and possible decline of the concept of modern war. According to Charles Townshend, the term modern war was a product of three sources of change: technological, administrative, and ideological.2 The combined effect of these changes was to transform battle, the conduct of operations and strategy. Equally important, it apparently also played an instrumental role in creating a new political structure that came to dominate European politics: the nation state.3 Within the context of war the most important aspect of this development was that the state assumed an unassailable monopoly on the use of force. However, it now seems that this model of war is threatened by technological, economic, political and social forces that are bringing about profound changes in the ownership, organization, and use of force as an instrument of policy.4 The aim of this chapter is to explain the birth, apotheosis and possible decline of modern war.
1. Winning Hearts and Minds in the "War on Terrorism" 2. Al Qaueda and the Radical Isla... more 1. Winning Hearts and Minds in the "War on Terrorism" 2. Al Qaueda and the Radical Islamic Challenge to Western Strategy 3. Operation "Enduring Freedom": A victory for a conventional force fighting an unconventional war 4. United States Special Operations Forces and the War on Terrorism 5. Warfare by Other Means: Special forces, terrorism and grand strategy 6. Muslim, Islamists and the Cold War 7. An Ambivalent War: Russia's war on terrorism 8. 11 September 2001 and the Media 9. Bringing It All Back Home: Hollywood returns to war
Since 2001, the international community has struggled to establish Afghanistan as a viable nation... more Since 2001, the international community has struggled to establish Afghanistan as a viable nation state. Among the many challenges facing this mission has been an ongoing insurgency conducted principally by the Taliban. In spite of the continuation of the American-led counter-terrorist campaign, Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), it is currently estimated that half the country is now under the physical and psychological control of this insurgent group. A parallel mission, which had little or no bearing on the fortunes of the Taliban insurgency, at least initially, was the creation of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). ISAF was created in 2001 and is essentially a peacekeeping operation, which was intended to establish a secure environment behind which political, economic and social reconstruction of the state could commence. ISAF started slowly; its biggest problem at the start was getting states to contribute forces to it. Eventually, NATO assumed control in 2003 and its members make up the lion’s share of troop contributors. Because of these resource problems, ISAF’s initial security footprint was restricted to Kabul. Gradually, however, the force was expanded and its influence was extended to the north of the country with Phase 2 in 2004. Although this was deemed to be a success, the operation was carried out in a benign security environment and the population generally supported the efforts of the international community to help in the reconstruction of the area. More problematic and more dangerous was the proposed expansion of ISAF into the south of the country, which was seen as Taliban country. Phase 3 involved the deployment of 12,000 NATO ISAF troops in the southernmost six provinces: Day Kundi, Helmand, Kandahar, Nimroz, Urzugan, and Zabul. After much delay, caused in part by the time taken to raise the necessary forces from NATO, the organization began its deployment in the early summer of 2006. The largest contingent in this force was Defense & Security Analysis Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 201–225, June 2007
... Those who would not accept these terms were either detained or deported to China. Eventually,... more ... Those who would not accept these terms were either detained or deported to China. Eventually, the security situation in Malaya was sufficiently stable for Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman to declare Malayan independence on 31 August 1957. ...
War made the state, and the state made war, but does this statement hold true today? Will it appl... more War made the state, and the state made war, but does this statement hold true today? Will it apply in the future? The consensus is that the absence of major war within the western world, post 1945, did cause the war–state relationship to change, but each became significantly less important to the other. This article argues that the relationship was closer and deeper than has been assumed. It proposes that the peculiar strategic conditions created by the nuclear age caused states to wage a ritualistic style of war, in which demonstration rather than the physical application of violence became increasingly important. Within this setting, the state drove the process of technological innovation in defence to its limits in an effort to demonstrate its military superiority. This massive peacetime investment in defence technology exerted a huge impact on the character of war, which led to new strategic forms. However, most importantly, the diffusion of military technology also affected the...
If citing, it is advised that you check and use the publisher's definitive version for pagination... more If citing, it is advised that you check and use the publisher's definitive version for pagination, volume/issue, and date of publication details. And where the final published version is provided on the Research Portal, if citing you are again advised to check the publisher's website for any subsequent corrections.
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