Fourth-Generation War and Other Myths

Fourth-Generation War and Other Myths PDF Author: Strategic Studies Institute
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781312319387
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 32

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Book Description
In an era of broad and perhaps profound change, new theories and concepts are to be welcomed rather than shunned. However, before they are fully embraced, they need to be tested rigorously, for the cost of implementing a false theory and developing operational and strategic concepts around it can be greater than remaining wedded to an older, but sounder one. The theory of Fourth Generation War (4GW) is a perfect example. Were we to embrace this theory, a loose collection of ideas that does not hold up to close scrutiny, the price we might pay in a future conflict could be high indeed. In this monograph, Dr. Antulio J. Echevarria II provides a critique of the theory of 4GW, examining its faulty assumptions and the problems in its logic. by subscribing to this bankrupt theory. If their aim is truly to create positive change, then they- and we-would be better off jettisoning the theory and retaining the traditional concept of insurgency, while modifying it to include the greater mobility and access afforded...

Fourth-generation War and Other Myths

Fourth-generation War and Other Myths PDF Author: Antulio Joseph Echevarria
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Insurgency
Languages : en
Pages : 32

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Book Description


Fourth-Generation War and Other Myths

Fourth-Generation War and Other Myths PDF Author: Strategic Studies Institute
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781312319387
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 32

Get Book Here

Book Description
In an era of broad and perhaps profound change, new theories and concepts are to be welcomed rather than shunned. However, before they are fully embraced, they need to be tested rigorously, for the cost of implementing a false theory and developing operational and strategic concepts around it can be greater than remaining wedded to an older, but sounder one. The theory of Fourth Generation War (4GW) is a perfect example. Were we to embrace this theory, a loose collection of ideas that does not hold up to close scrutiny, the price we might pay in a future conflict could be high indeed. In this monograph, Dr. Antulio J. Echevarria II provides a critique of the theory of 4GW, examining its faulty assumptions and the problems in its logic. by subscribing to this bankrupt theory. If their aim is truly to create positive change, then they- and we-would be better off jettisoning the theory and retaining the traditional concept of insurgency, while modifying it to include the greater mobility and access afforded...

Fourth-generation War and Other Myths

Fourth-generation War and Other Myths PDF Author: Antulio Joseph Echevarria
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781584872252
Category : Insurgency
Languages : en
Pages : 21

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Book Description


War Before Civilization

War Before Civilization PDF Author: Lawrence H. Keeley
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199880700
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
The myth of the peace-loving "noble savage" is persistent and pernicious. Indeed, for the last fifty years, most popular and scholarly works have agreed that prehistoric warfare was rare, harmless, unimportant, and, like smallpox, a disease of civilized societies alone. Prehistoric warfare, according to this view, was little more than a ritualized game, where casualties were limited and the effects of aggression relatively mild. Lawrence Keeley's groundbreaking War Before Civilization offers a devastating rebuttal to such comfortable myths and debunks the notion that warfare was introduced to primitive societies through contact with civilization (an idea he denounces as "the pacification of the past"). Building on much fascinating archeological and historical research and offering an astute comparison of warfare in civilized and prehistoric societies, from modern European states to the Plains Indians of North America, War Before Civilization convincingly demonstrates that prehistoric warfare was in fact more deadly, more frequent, and more ruthless than modern war. To support this point, Keeley provides a wide-ranging look at warfare and brutality in the prehistoric world. He reveals, for instance, that prehistorical tactics favoring raids and ambushes, as opposed to formal battles, often yielded a high death-rate; that adult males falling into the hands of their enemies were almost universally killed; and that surprise raids seldom spared even women and children. Keeley cites evidence of ancient massacres in many areas of the world, including the discovery in South Dakota of a prehistoric mass grave containing the remains of over 500 scalped and mutilated men, women, and children (a slaughter that took place a century and a half before the arrival of Columbus). In addition, Keeley surveys the prevalence of looting, destruction, and trophy-taking in all kinds of warfare and again finds little moral distinction between ancient warriors and civilized armies. Finally, and perhaps most controversially, he examines the evidence of cannibalism among some preliterate peoples. Keeley is a seasoned writer and his book is packed with vivid, eye-opening details (for instance, that the homicide rate of prehistoric Illinois villagers may have exceeded that of the modern United States by some 70 times). But he also goes beyond grisly facts to address the larger moral and philosophical issues raised by his work. What are the causes of war? Are human beings inherently violent? How can we ensure peace in our own time? Challenging some of our most dearly held beliefs, Keeley's conclusions are bound to stir controversy.

Fourth-Generation Warfare

Fourth-Generation Warfare PDF Author: The Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research
Publisher: Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research
ISBN: 9948245385
Category : Antiques & Collectibles
Languages : en
Pages : 21

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Book Description
The concept of Fourth-Generation Warfare (4GW) goes beyond the narrow military concept of war. Conflicts are no longer centralized, due to the ever-changing principles of warfare today. On one hand, the state is confronted with militarized militias and terrorist groups; on the other, the media is being utilized to serve the agendas of those organizations and militias. These methods are combined to systematically weaken the opposition and divide public opinion. Not only do these tactics aim to destroy an opponent’s military capabilities, they also aim to foster unrest and create instability in societies. Amid the expansion of transnational networks, new actors have emerged, able to project their influence beyond conventional borders through the use of modern communications and advanced technologies. In light of these developments, the need to study 4GW is critical. Given the significance of the issue, the papers presented examine the concept in detail, in the context of the widespread unrest, in regional and international arenas, that has fuelled instability in some Arab states. Throughout the chapters of this book, experts in the field address the changing face of war and examine the theoretical and strategic dimensions of 4GW, focusing on its tactics, techniques and procedures. The book also discusses 4GW trajectories and future warfare, and the extent to which the ethics of war and international treaties will be respected amid the changes in conflict to come.

Hybrid Warfare

Hybrid Warfare PDF Author: Williamson Murray
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107026083
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 335

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Book Description
Hybrid warfare has been an integral part of the historical landscape since the ancient world, but only recently have analysts - incorrectly - categorised these conflicts as unique. Great powers throughout history have confronted opponents who used a combination of regular and irregular forces to negate the advantage of the great powers' superior conventional military strength. As this study shows, hybrid wars are labour-intensive and long-term affairs; they are difficult struggles that defy the domestic logic of opinion polls and election cycles. Hybrid wars are also the most likely conflicts of the twenty-first century, as competitors use hybrid forces to wear down America's military capabilities in extended campaigns of exhaustion. Nine historical examples of hybrid warfare, from ancient Rome to the modern world, provide readers with context by clarifying the various aspects of conflicts and examining how great powers have dealt with them in the past.

Myth and the Greatest Generation

Myth and the Greatest Generation PDF Author: Kenneth Rose
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135909946
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 382

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Book Description
Myth and the Greatest Generation calls into question the glowing paradigm of the World War II generation set up by such books as The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw. Including analysis of news reports, memoirs, novels, films and other cultural artefacts Ken Rose shows the war was much more disruptive to the lives of Americans in the military and on the home front during World War II than is generally acknowledged. Issues of racial, labor unrest, juvenile delinquency, and marital infidelity were rampant, and the black market flourished. This book delves into both personal and national issues, calling into questions the dominant view of World War II as ‘The Good War’.

Theory of Irregular War

Theory of Irregular War PDF Author: Jonathan W. Hackett
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476689059
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 262

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Book Description
From Afghanistan to Angola, Indonesia to Iran, and Colombia to Congo, violent reactions erupt, states collapse, and militaries relentlessly pursue operations doomed to fail. And yet, no useful theory exists to explain this common tragedy. All over the world, people and states clash violently outside their established political systems, as unfulfilled demands of control and productivity bend the modern state to a breaking point. This book lays out how dysfunctional governments disrupt social orders, make territory insecure, and interfere with political-economic institutions. These give rise to a form of organized violence against the state known as irregular war. Research reveals why this frequent phenomenon is so poorly understood among conventional forces in those conflicts and the states who send their children to die in them.

International Law and Child Soldiers

International Law and Child Soldiers PDF Author: Gus Waschefort
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1782254331
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description
This book commences with an analysis of the current state of child soldiering internationally. Thereafter the proscriptive content of contemporary norms on the prohibition of the use and recruitment of child soldiers is evaluated, so as to determine whether these norms are capable of better enforcement. An 'issues-based' approach is adopted, in terms of which no specific regime of law, such as international humanitarian law (IHL), is deemed dominant. Instead, universal and regional human rights law, international criminal law and IHL are assessed cumulatively, so as to create a mutually reinforcing web of protection. Ultimately, it is argued that the effective implementation of child soldier prohibitive norms does not require major changes to any entity or functionary engaged in such prevention; rather, it requires the constant reassessment and refinement of all such entities and functionaries, and here, some changes are suggested. International judicial, quasi-judicial and non-judicial entities and functionaries most relevant to child soldier prevention are critically assessed. Ultimately the conclusions reached are assessed in light of a case study on the use and recruitment of child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Hybrid Age

The Hybrid Age PDF Author: Brin Najžer
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 0755602528
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 247

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Book Description
Humankind has always sought out innovative and new ways of waging war, establishing new forms of warfare. Set against a background of global strategic instability this process of innovation has, over the last two decades, produced a new and complex phenomenon, hybrid warfare. Distinct from other forms of modern warfare in several key aspects, it presents a unique challenge that appears to baffle policymakers and security experts, while giving the actors that employ it a new way of achieving their goals in the face of long-standing Western conventional, doctrinal, and strategic superiority. The Hybrid Age analyses the phenomenon of hybrid warfare through theoretical frameworks and a range global case studies from the 2006 Lebanon War to the Russian intervention in Ukraine in 2014. This book aims to establish a unified theory of hybrid warfare, which not only outlines what the term means, but also places it in its context, and provides the tools which enable an observer to identify and react to a future instance of hybrid warfare.