Asymmetric information

Lessons of McNamara In the last decade, the U.S, acting as a world police, have faced many difficulties such as loss of manpower and firepower, economic damage, ethical conflicts among officials as well as citizens within the country in its relations with insurgents in Middle Eastern countries. Although it seems there is no light at the end of the tunnel to a layman, there is still a chance for the U.S to redeem itself. Former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara’s lessons, which are the…

Lasting from 1789 to 1799, the French Revolution had a momentous impact beyond its immediate short-term goals. For the French revolutionaries, the war was an effort against the aristocratic privilege and monarchical tyranny that prevailed in the 18th century, but in the years to come, others engaged in warfare would acknowledge that the Revolution’s implications extended these aims. While historians disagree on how to interpret the long-term success of the French Revolution, it is indisputable…

Introduction The failure of the Iraq and Afghanistan War has triggered an immense increase in the number of academic literature regarding asymmetrical warfare. It is generally assumed that the power disparity between a strong state and a weaker non-state opponent would permit the stronger adversary to win. However, history illustrates a different picture, since weak non-state actors have been the side reaping victory. This paper will limit its scope by examining why strong counterinsurgent…

A hybrid threat is a combination of regular forces, irregular forces, and criminal elements. Hybrid threats may be nation-state actors such as conventional core state armies or non-state actors such as terrorist organizations. These forces and organizations may work together, either purposefully or not, to achieve mutually beneficial effects on the battlefield. Defeating a hybrid threat requires adaptiveness, and the ability to react quickly. Hybrid threats are highly adaptive adversaries…

does not work in asymmetric wars. The insurgent are willing to bear the cost and determined to threat the political will. For the metropolitan, they should learn more of counterinsurgency strategy and understand the opponent’s strategy to find a solution to it. (Toft, 2001: 123). With no reasonable explanation, it is easy to confront with opposition. It is necessary to learn the culture of another nation, as to avoid military confrontation if diplomacy can help to clarify. In asymmetric…

Terrorism is defined as asymmetrical warfare using unconventional methods of wars against the US and Western allies wrote many specialists. Fighting terrorism required many means among others. The US and its allies are embarrassed of systematic use of military force against the modern terrorist organizations. First, in international affairs and politics, military forces of a country fights its counterparts of other countries, so it appears for US authorities illegal to use the military against…

Asymmetric War and Jus in Bello Principles The transformation of war today has challenged long-adapted jus in bello principles in just war tradition. The most frequently seen form of modern warfare is asymmetric warfare/conflict, which is a result of armed conflict between parties with unequal military position. Within an asymmetric warfare, traditional jus in bello principles are questioned on their application to each side of combatants and noncombatants based on the uneven resources and…

Glory does not last forever. To those who have experienced it fully, and its addictive nature, it is a cruel mistress that demands pursuit. It is the ubiquitous high school jock, clad in an aged letter jacket and basking in fleeting splendor that personifies this pursuit so well. More appropriately perhaps, it is the struggle of an international hegemon struggling battling an identity crisis because the recipe that, for centuries, has produced profound success no longer yields a palatable…

However, after analyzing the history of asymmetric warfare and the changes and behaviors that have taken place through this time, I have become critical of the assumption that asymmetric warfare has ever ‘risen’. Warfare, in which weak actors have fought against unassailable opponents within their means and resources, is not a type of warfare that can be considered new. The notion of a “rise of asymmetric warfare” may be loaded with assumptions related to Western imperialism…

The main methodologies of General Wang involve the use of information technology and the “use inferior equipment to achieve victory over enemies with superior equipment [2]”. Wang believes that warfare has shifted from ground warfare to “even more in intangible space, such as in electromagnetic fields. [2]”, meaning…