New Wars: New War Or Crime?

This article makes a major contribution to our understanding of how the theory of war has changed over time. The major theme of the article is the relationship that exists between ‘Old Wars’ and ‘New Wars’, and whether the theory behind ‘New Wars’ accurately portrays recent conflicts. 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. Kaldor’s article is especially notable for including criticisms

Kaldor first explains that New Wars are the wars of the era of Globalisation. New Wars are fought by varying combinations of state and non-state actors. The goal of New Wars is to achieve political control in order to introduce identity politics which is the right to power in the name of a specific group (religious, tribal, ethnic groups) rather than physical control (colonialism) that would have been under the Old War theory. New Wars are also no longer financed through states but through predatory private finance (ISIS are funded via black-market oil trading, illegal drugs and a private taxation). Kaldor also describes how the methods of war have changed. Under the New War theory power is obtained though control of the population, this includes violence against civilians (Halabja Massacre in 1988). This differs from the Old War theory as in previous centuries a decisive encounter would have taken place, under the New Wars theory battles are

The theory of New Wars as Kaldor states, introduces a change of logic to the theory of war. Kaldor also introduces some of the new elements that exist due to New Wars. First of all, the increase in destructiveness is mainly due to the increasing level of technology used in war. This rise in technology leads to many symmetrical wars which are fought between similarly armed opponents. These wars are highly destructive and incredibly difficult to win as Kaldor states (war between Iran and Iraq). The rise of communication technology has also been a major contributor to the New War theory. There has been a sufficient rise in human rights due to the coverage that journalists deliver during a period of war, but communications are also used as a tool of war by the use of propaganda. Kaldor also describes the transformation of the nation state as a direct result of globalisation. The nation state must now adhere to international rules and regulations. Ultimately, states have become weaker due to globalisation in the past