Game of Proxies – Towards a new model of warfare: Experiences from the CAR, Libya, Mali, Syria, and Ukraine
Journal Title: Security and Defence Quarterly - Year 2020, Vol 31, Issue 4
Abstract
The objective of the study is to carry out a meaningful comparison that demonstrates the similarities and differences of various conflict theatres where proxy forces were employed. The analyses of the discussed cases focused on different aspects of the conflict and nature of the proxy use. The analyses presented on the following pages were conducted on the basis of the literature on the subject, governmental research and reports, and supporting sources reporting recent developments that complemented academic sources. Various non-state actors such as ethnic militias, paramilitary units, and private military companies have become more and more visible on contemporary battlegrounds. Modern states employ those actors to further their objectives, as this limits their own political and financial costs. This increasingly visible phenomenon points to an emerging new model of warfare where state actors are relying ever more on proxies of various character and nature. It is highly likely that any future conflict will be characterised by a proxy-based model of warfare, which will consist of a limited footprint made by regular forces (or none at all) and, consequently, the extended use of proxies supported by special forces. Because such an approach is less costly, proxies will be more often employed by low-budget states, previously reluctant to carry out such costly military endeavours. Denying the actions and affiliations of these proxies will inevitably follow and, in turn, a lack of political accountability and responsibility for the conflict’s outcome.
Authors and Affiliations
Cyprian Aleksander Kozera, Paweł Bernat, Cüneyt Gürer, Błażej Popławski, Mehmet Sözer
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP705829
- DOI https://doi.org/10.35467/sdq/131787
- Views 90
- Downloads 0
The development of sanitary aviation in pre-war Poland – historical aspects
This article looks at some historical aspects of sanitary aviation in Poland in the context of global aviation and its influence on the development of Polish aviation. The research was limited to the period from the rise...
North Atlantic Treaty security.
The article discusses security within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation with respect to threats which may appear in its near and more distant surroundings. The following military threats are discussed: military conf...
Business impact analysis in the process of business continuity management.
---------------
Hungarian defence forces in NATO multinational operations (highliting the Polish-Hungarian cooperation)
Nowadays, the Hungarian Defence Forces (HDF) have several multinational tasks all over the world. These are changing constantly due to the expansion of the different missions. In the beginning, HDF personnal were partici...
Nonviolent civil resistance against military force: The experience of Lithuania in 1991
Evolving threats to national security have resulted in the adoption of comprehensive (total) defence concepts by a number of small and medium states. Civil resistance constitutes a considerable part of such concepts, com...