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Types of War (1) • Defining criteria for what actually constitutes a “war” is problematic. However, we commonly take Duration of sustained violent conflict & Scale, (i.e. No. of combatants, no. killed/injured etc.) as indicators. A basic definition would be that war is: “sustained intergroup violence (deliberately inflicting death & injury) in which state military forces participate on at least one side.” • In more recent times most wars have been internal rather than interstate, & great majority have been in South, (Chechnya being an impt. exception).
Types of War (3)Hegemonic War • Hegemonic wars relate to control of entire world order, dominating whole international system & determining its rules & structure. Such wars have also been called world wars, global wars, general wars & systemic wars. • World War II was the last instance of a hegemonic war. Since then probability of such a war has most likely decreased due to the fact that if it occurred it would be prone to destroy civilization as we know it.
Types of War (4)Total War • Total Warfare occurs when a state tries to conquer & occupy another state, forcing the enemy’s surrender & replacing its government. Society as a whole is mobilized for war effort & entire enemy society considered a legitimate target. • WWII is again an e.g., as is more recent American-led war of 2003 to take Iraq. Blanket-Bombing in WWII
Types of War (5)Limited War • The 1st war against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq in 1991 was a good e.g. of a limited war, where objectives of military action did not include forcing the enemy to completely surrender & occupying the enemy state.
Types of War (6)Civil War (i) • Civil Wars are those: “between factions within a state trying to create, or prevent, a new government for the entire state or some territorial part of it.” • The causes of Civil Wars vary. Such wars may be related to either secessionist goals, or to control of the whole state & may or may not contain an ethnic dimension.
Types of War (6)Civil War (ii) • The war in El Salvador in 1980’s was a case of a Civil War based on (somewhat ideological) differences as to who should control the state, & was not founded on ethnic conflict/dispute, whereas Civil War in Sri Lanka is largely an ethnically-based conflict, with Tamils in the North & East wanting to break-away from the majority Sinhalese-dominated state.
Types of War (6)Guerrilla War (i) • Civil Wars often overlap with Guerrilla War. • Guerrilla Warfare is war where there are no clear territorial lines of control & irregular guerrilla forces, “operate in the midst of, & often hidden or protected by, civilian populations.” • Guerrilla forces are typically smaller & more mobile than the enemy conventional armies they fight & use surprise tactics to harass & hurt their opponents till ultimately they become ineffective & lose or surrender control of territory.
Guerilla or villager? Types of War (6)Guerrilla War (ii) • A classic e.g. of guerrilla warfare was fought against the American & South Vietnamese forces by the Vietcong. The American forces in Iraq & Afghanistan (& the Iraqi / Afghani armies it has sponsored) have faced similar threats. • Counterinsurgency campaigns are designed to combat guerrilla forces by amongst other things gaining support of public that might shelter guerrillas. However, it’s difficult to distinguish guerrillas from non-combatant civilians, so methods against guerrilla forces can often backfire.
Terrorism(i) • Again, guerrilla warfare & terrorism often overlap. • As with many of other terms we have looked at, that of “terrorism” is highly controversial (& emotive), definitions of which are often disputed. In a basic sense though, terrorism can be defined as, “political violence that targets civilians deliberately & indiscriminately.”
Terrorism(ii) • Often believed by terrorists, & sometimes the case, that if civilian population is demoralized & constantly living in fear, it will eventually bring pressure to bear on its own government or other related parties to accept the terrorists’ demands. Thus, terrorism is in some ways principally a psychological weapon. • “State-sponsored terrorism” when states themselves support terrorist groups.
