The Future of Conflict

About this book

A fundamentally flawed and ahistorical vision of future conflict that de-emphasises the human, psychological, political and cultural dimensions of war persists in strategic thought in spite of recent experience. This paper will challenge the widely held belief that ‘revolutionary’ surveillance, information-gathering and precision-strike technologies will permit modern military forces to win future wars rapidly and efficiently. The paper will examine the character of recent and ongoing conflicts in Lebanon, Afghanistan and Iraq to illuminate future challenges to security and recommend changes to military and inter-agency doctrine, organisation and professional education to address those challenges.