The Blurring of Interstate Wars, Civil Wars and Peace

The term “hybrid war” draws attention to the fact that traditional concepts of war no longer provide the guidance we need to tackle twenty-first-century challenges to peace and security. As the demarcations between “interstate war,” “civil war”, and “peace” have blurred, the conventional semantics o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:S + F , Vol.36 (1), p.14-20
Main Author: Wassermann, Felix
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Civil war
Semantics
War
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The term “hybrid war” draws attention to the fact that traditional concepts of war no longer provide the guidance we need to tackle twenty-first-century challenges to peace and security. As the demarcations between “interstate war,” “civil war”, and “peace” have blurred, the conventional semantics of war are no longer useful. Can the term “hybrid war” help rectify our conceptual and political disorientation - or does it only indicate and even increase our disorientation? This paper examines the potential usefulness of the “hybrid war” semantics. It analyzes and historicizes the current disorientation and clarifies the problems and prospects of a reorientation on the new, shapeless security terrain.
ISSN:0175-274X
DOI:10.5771/0175-274X-2018-1-14