In Defence of New Wars

Translation

Abstract

[In Belarusian]

This article reviews the literature on «new wars». It argues that «new wars» should be understood not as an empirical category but rather as a way of elucidating the logic of contemporary war that can offer both a research strategy and a guide to policy. It addresses four components of the debate: whether new wars are «new»; whether new wars are war or crime; whether the data supports the claims about new wars; and whether new wars are «post-Clausewitzean». It argues that the obsession with the «newness» of wars misses the point about the logic of new wars; that there is a blurring of war and crime but it is important to address the political elements of new wars; that, although the data should be used with caution, it does seem to offer support for some elements of the new war thesis; and that the argument is indeed post-Clausewitzean because new wars are not «contests of wills» but more similar to a mutual enterprise. It concludes that the debate has greatly enriched the overall argument.