War’s Indirection or the Return of the Limited War
Over the last few years both the United States and Russia seem to have changed their conception of how to deploy force.
From America there has been increased reliance on the private sector, allied on-ground action and “leadership from behind”. From Russia we have seen greater emphasis on special actions, intelligence, information wars, and even nuclear posturing. Following the escalation to total war in the twentieth century, these strategic choices probably bear witness to a return to notions of “limited war”.
Article published in Politique étrangère, Vol. 80, No. 4, Winter 2015
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