War

:For other uses of War, see War (disambiguation).

Future of warfare

As the world moves into the 21st century, warfare has changed. The state is beginning to pass away as the principal actor in world politics and the world is starting to look more like it did before the rise of nationalism and the ascendancy of the state. The warring forces in the world are beginning to be defined more by cultures rather than political entities. Martin Van Creveld stated that, "Designed, financed and maintained by one state for the purpose of fighting another, present day armed forces are dinosaurs about to disappear...". (Van Creveld, p. 214).

Related Topics:
21st century - State - World politics - Nationalism - Culture - Martin Van Creveld

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The tactics and methods used in warfare will have to change as the warring parties change and the paradigm of international relations shifts to the earlier model. Soldiers now are trained to be unemotional and clinical, a policy that reflects the state-based notion that war must be undertaken by rational armies who are regulated by agreed upon rules and laws (e.g., the Geneva Convention, the Law of Land Warfare, etc.). As warfare shift back to the time when civilizations, cultures and religions attempted to obliterate their opponents, soldiers will have to understand the complex nature of the conflicts that surround them and state-based armies will have to undergo massive changes. (Waddell 2004)

Related Topics:
Geneva Convention - Law of Land Warfare

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Modern enemies include religious zealots and terrorists and, because they are not defined by the state, cannot be bombed or fought as the armies of Hitler or Napoleon. Some suggest that western culture, which employs the majority of these state-based militaries, will have to fight using elite forces that appeal across national lines to broader cultural similarities if it is to effectively fight modern wars. (Waddell 2004)

Related Topics:
Hitler - Napoleon - Western culture

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