War in the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

Souchon describes the fundamental change in the security risks and the objectives, intensities and results of the conflicts in today’s world. Wars undergo a process of tectonic decentralisation and globalisation. In the twenty-first century combinations of Islamist hyperterrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, regional wars, state failure, mass migration and organised crime that are intensified by cyberspace attacks and climate change are forcing the Western community to reassess all strategic approaches thoroughly. The powerful rise of China, the resurrection of Russia, new nuclear states and global operating terrorist forces increase the challenges in the post-Cold War order. In this chapter the striking deficits in coping with conflicts in the twenty-first century are identified and a fundamental change in strategic thinking will be provided.