Abstract
Over the past four centuries Europe has been at the centre of five fundamental revolutionary changes in the art and conduct of war. This essay examines the latest of these revolutions within the context of the war in Bosnia (1992–5). This war is significant because it is the first major regional conflict to erupt within Europe since the end of the Second World War (1939–45). As such it was an area of concern for all of the major European powers and at certain times threatened to escalate from a local conflict into a general European war. Of equal importance is the fact that Bosnia demonstrates the essential characteristics of an evolution in war that has been described as postmodern war, new war and even neo-medieval war.1 The aim of this analysis is to highlight why and how both the nature and conduct of war has changed. In addition, it also explores the possibility that existing military forces are ill prepared to meet the challenges posed by this new type of conflict and, as a result, are in danger of becoming obsolete.
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Notes and References
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© 2002 Warren Chin
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Chin, W. (2002). The Transformation of War in Europe 1945–2000. In: Black, J. (eds) European Warfare 1815–2000. Problems in Focus Series. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4039-0705-9_9
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