Warfare in the 21st Century Postmodern World

Causes and Consequences for States' Survival

Resumo

 Complexity in international relations has been growing with the increase in the number of states present since the UN’s inception, each having different views and interests, which sometimes led to conflictual interactions and growing tensions in their international relations. Recently, the involvement of new international actors other than nation-states that emerged with relevant roles in the international arena introduced additional uncertainty and brought even more complexity to the international system. The involvement of an array of new non-state actors in conflict, the empowerment of individuals, and the diffusion of power among states and from states to informal networks have already had a tectonic global impact on the international security system that forced a debate about the new character of conflict and war. At the same time, new technological developments and the exploitation of new domains, such as space and cyberspace, along with a broader dispersion of power and knowledge that flows from the new information systems’ era and the eroding legitimacy of the armed forces, all contributed to a multidimensional trend towards privatization within armed conflict, which some consider to be a game changer in the realms of security and defense. Exploring causes and deducing consequences for nation-states’ survival in such a complex and conflictual new security environment deserves a proper analysis that is proposed through an inductive approach based on a combination of experience and primary sources by the author.