TYBA/PIV/Module III: Types of Conflict and Changing Nature of Conflict:
I Inter-state wars – changing nature and its causes
Introduction
War can be
seen as a form of social behavior and hence a permanent feature of human
society. However war also reflects changes in society and politics. The rise of
Modern State saw the beginning of industrial warfare that involved huge number
of deaths of both soldiers and civilians. The cold war was a continuance of
modern warfare but its severity was affected by Nuclear Weapons. Major changes
have occurred in form of war since the end of cold war. Its intensity and
number of deaths have declined sharply, along with rise in intra-state wars.
PCW warfare is technology driven and based on sophisticated weaponry and
information. Changes in international system have also led to rise in Non-state
based wars. Though war has become extinct in developed parts of the world, it
still persists in most of the developing regions that have been unable to deal
with the pressures of globalization related changes. Thus it remains a brutal
form of politics and innate part of human behavior.
Definition:
Traditional
definitions of war have distinguished it from other general forms of armed
violence like individual/group conflicts. However, the difficulty in limiting
it to inter-state conflicts is that it excludes conflicts within states that
occur in present day world. Such a definition also excludes non-state actors
involved in violent conflicts and may be fought on different scales. Quincy
Wright defines war ‘as a conflict among political group, especially sovereign
states, carried on by armed forces of considerable magnitude, for a reasonable
period of time’. This is a reasonable definition of present day war as it
emphasizes the changed nature of contemporary war.
War is a
universal form of human behavior. Today, however, it is strikingly absent in
some parts of world. In general, it has seen a sharp decline since end of cold
war. However, its presence is seen along with novel features in many regions of
the world.
Origins of
Modern State can be seen as an important outcome of war. Violence during the
renaissance period was countered by standing armies of powerful and centralized
states. The modern form of warfare can
be traced back to the Thirty Years War. The end of this war marked the
beginning of new phase in international relations. It resulted in
industrialized warfare fought on a massive scale that involved unprecedented
number of deaths. The modern forces like nationalism, bureaucratic states made
of large populations and scientific and industrial revolutions resulted in modern
form of war. Such a ‘modern war’ continued till the end of cold war.
Contemporary
changes in war can
be attributed to globalization and changes in the international system since
1989. Globalization led political and social changes have resulted in changed the
understanding about the nature of external threats to a state. Such threats as
terrorism, insurgencies, and internal crises in other countries present a
significant threat to the state and international system. In other words, the
earlier 20th century inter-state rivalry has now become just one of
the reasons for war.
End of cold
war brought major changes in the international system. Resultant US
hegemony and globalization forces have been challenged by strong cultural and
political resistance. At the same time, internal changes within states
by way of either democratization or disintegration have resulted in civil wars
and insurgencies. However, some believe that the fundamental nature of war
remains constant and hence changing war merely reflects the broader changes in
the international system. In other words, forms of war change as per threat
perceptions.
Changing
war is also a result of huge technological and communications growth. As
a result, cyber warfare, electronic warfare and global media led information-war
are the new ‘battlefields’ of the PCW era. Increasing use of both cyberspace
and global media by Non-State actors to further their cause also define
contemporary war.
At the same
time the traditional features of war are also changing. The PCW era has seen rapid
spread of conventional military technology and of weapons of mass destruction.
This is seen as a direct result of disarmament between the super powers at the
end of cold war.
Huge
technological progress has also led to revolutionary changes in military
affairs, mainly in the developed states like USA. This was evident in Gulf
War 1990 and also during Afghanistan, 2001 and Iraq War, 2003. The use of
technology to achieve success against a weak enemy meant assured unopposed
victory to US. These wars were of short duration, involved use of advanced
technology and led to reduced casualties. All this was possible due to the
effective use of information technology revolution by US forces. However such
technology based warfare was challenged by use of traditional guerilla-war
tactics by weak opponents in conflict zones.
II Nature and types of intra-state conflicts – causes and features
New wars based on intra-state conflicts are another
central feature of post cold war era. Disintegration of states that
could not withstand the pressures of globalisation has seen increased number of
internal conflicts. Different groups claim control of the state and hence take
to violence in the form of civil wars.
In such cases, a large number of unemployed youths are recruited in to
private army. The availability illegal funds and a thriving global arms
industry ensure purchase of latest weapons for use in these conflicts.
Some argue that these are ‘Identity Wars’ in the
sense that they are mainly fought for over issues of identity and culture. The
demand for national self-determination has been a major cause of wars
since 1990s. In other instances, religious fundamentalists are seen
defending cultural autonomy against the onslaught of globalisation forces and
western secularism.
Identity issues are also linked to increasing role of
women and under aged children in actual combat. Women, traditionally,
assigned non-combat roles are now increasingly seen in active combat roles in
the form of soldiers or suicide bombers. Child Soldiers in sizeable numbers
have been particularly found in recent conflicts in Africa e.g. in Sierra
Leone.
The Non-state dimension of new wars has also been
highlighted by some experts. Sub-state actors indulging in violence against the
states do not aim to impose political authority. Hence they do not require a
war like response from the state and hence are difficult to counter with a
traditional approach. The traditional approach based on Westphalian state
system involved armed conflict between soldiers of rival countries. However,
changes to state system has meant that the state’s monopoly of use of
violence is challenged from outside as well as inside by sub-state actors. This
was notably seen in conflicts in Congo, Sudan and Bosnia.
The use of paramilitary forces has been another
striking feature in intra-state wars. Paramilitary forces are semi-armed forces
raised and trained for dealing with such conflicts. These have been
increasingly used across the globe in recent conflicts.
Anti-terrorism campaigns, like the war on terror, are
also seen as the new form of warfare. This is simply because they are fought
for long durations and involve counter measures by groups involved.
The relationship between global security and economic
development has also led to involvement of Inter-governmental organisations
like UN and Private Security firms involved in internal conflicts in areas such
as Africa, Balkans and the Middle East. Poverty, stability and development and
peace are seen as issues related to international security. Hence developed
countries have justified wars of intervention as ‘humanitarian
interventions’.
The intra-state conflicts are seen as a result of ‘failed
states’. These are states weakened due to globalisation pressures and lost
control over national territory. Such conditions are worsened by global availability
of cheap resources to sub-state groups. Such groups benefit from parallel
economies funded by black marketing and criminal activities like drugs and
money-laundering. In addition, globalisation has also privatised protection.
Private groups can acquire weapons through global arms market. According to
some observers, such wars are fought for gaining personal wealth instead of
political power. Thus unlike traditional war, in such cases, war/violent
conflict has become the aim and not an instrument of politics.
Questions
1.
Discuss the changes in inter-state war since
the end of cold war.
2.
Describe the intra-state wars with reference to
post cold war era/globalization.
3.
Discuss Terrorism as form of conflict in the
PCW era/Write a short note on Terrorism.
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