new wars thesis

• Search Menu

Sign in through your institution

• Browse content in Arts and Humanities
• Browse content in Archaeology
• Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Archaeology
• Archaeological Methodology and Techniques
• Archaeology by Region
• Archaeology of Religion
• Archaeology of Trade and Exchange
• Biblical Archaeology
• Contemporary and Public Archaeology
• Environmental Archaeology
• Historical Archaeology
• History and Theory of Archaeology
• Industrial Archaeology
• Landscape Archaeology
• Mortuary Archaeology
• Prehistoric Archaeology
• Underwater Archaeology
• Urban Archaeology
• Zooarchaeology
• Browse content in Architecture
• Architectural Structure and Design
• History of Architecture
• Residential and Domestic Buildings
• Theory of Architecture
• Browse content in Art
• Art Subjects and Themes
• History of Art
• Industrial and Commercial Art
• Theory of Art
• Biographical Studies
• Byzantine Studies
• Browse content in Classical Studies
• Classical History
• Classical Philosophy
• Classical Mythology
• Classical Literature
• Classical Reception
• Classical Art and Architecture
• Classical Oratory and Rhetoric
• Greek and Roman Epigraphy
• Greek and Roman Law
• Greek and Roman Papyrology
• Greek and Roman Archaeology
• Late Antiquity
• Religion in the Ancient World
• Social History
• Digital Humanities
• Browse content in History
• Colonialism and Imperialism
• Diplomatic History
• Environmental History
• Genealogy, Heraldry, Names, and Honours
• Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing
• Historical Geography
• History by Period
• History of Emotions
• History of Agriculture
• History of Education
• History of Gender and Sexuality
• Industrial History
• Intellectual History
• International History
• Labour History
• Legal and Constitutional History
• Local and Family History
• Maritime History
• Military History
• National Liberation and Post-Colonialism
• Oral History
• Political History
• Public History
• Regional and National History
• Revolutions and Rebellions
• Slavery and Abolition of Slavery
• Social and Cultural History
• Theory, Methods, and Historiography
• Urban History
• World History
• Browse content in Language Teaching and Learning
• Language Learning (Specific Skills)
• Language Teaching Theory and Methods
• Browse content in Linguistics
• Applied Linguistics
• Cognitive Linguistics
• Computational Linguistics
• Forensic Linguistics
• Grammar, Syntax and Morphology
• Historical and Diachronic Linguistics
• History of English
• Language Acquisition
• Language Evolution
• Language Reference
• Language Variation
• Language Families
• Lexicography
• Linguistic Anthropology
• Linguistic Theories
• Linguistic Typology
• Phonetics and Phonology
• Psycholinguistics
• Sociolinguistics
• Translation and Interpretation
• Writing Systems
• Browse content in Literature
• Bibliography
• Children's Literature Studies
• Literary Studies (Asian)
• Literary Studies (European)
• Literary Studies (Eco-criticism)
• Literary Studies (Romanticism)
• Literary Studies (American)
• Literary Studies (Modernism)
• Literary Studies - World
• Literary Studies (1500 to 1800)
• Literary Studies (19th Century)
• Literary Studies (20th Century onwards)
• Literary Studies (African American Literature)
• Literary Studies (British and Irish)
• Literary Studies (Early and Medieval)
• Literary Studies (Fiction, Novelists, and Prose Writers)
• Literary Studies (Gender Studies)
• Literary Studies (Graphic Novels)
• Literary Studies (History of the Book)
• Literary Studies (Plays and Playwrights)
• Literary Studies (Poetry and Poets)
• Literary Studies (Postcolonial Literature)
• Literary Studies (Queer Studies)
• Literary Studies (Science Fiction)
• Literary Studies (Travel Literature)
• Literary Studies (War Literature)
• Literary Studies (Women's Writing)
• Literary Theory and Cultural Studies
• Mythology and Folklore
• Shakespeare Studies and Criticism
• Browse content in Media Studies
• Browse content in Music
• Applied Music
• Dance and Music
• Ethics in Music
• Ethnomusicology
• Gender and Sexuality in Music
• Medicine and Music
• Music Cultures
• Music and Religion
• Music and Media
• Music and Culture
• Music Education and Pedagogy
• Music Theory and Analysis
• Musical Scores, Lyrics, and Libretti
• Musical Structures, Styles, and Techniques
• Musicology and Music History
• Performance Practice and Studies
• Race and Ethnicity in Music
• Sound Studies
• Browse content in Performing Arts
• Browse content in Philosophy
• Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art
• Epistemology
• Feminist Philosophy
• History of Western Philosophy
• Metaphysics
• Moral Philosophy
• Non-Western Philosophy
• Philosophy of Science
• Philosophy of Language
• Philosophy of Mind
• Philosophy of Perception
• Philosophy of Action
• Philosophy of Law
• Philosophy of Religion
• Philosophy of Mathematics and Logic
• Practical Ethics
• Social and Political Philosophy
• Browse content in Religion
• Biblical Studies
• Christianity
• East Asian Religions
• History of Religion
• Judaism and Jewish Studies
• Qumran Studies
• Religion and Education
• Religion and Health
• Religion and Politics
• Religion and Science
• Religion and Law
• Religion and Art, Literature, and Music
• Religious Studies
• Browse content in Society and Culture
• Cookery, Food, and Drink
• Cultural Studies
• Customs and Traditions
• Ethical Issues and Debates
• Hobbies, Games, Arts and Crafts
• Natural world, Country Life, and Pets
• Popular Beliefs and Controversial Knowledge
• Sports and Outdoor Recreation
• Technology and Society
• Travel and Holiday
• Visual Culture
• Browse content in Law
• Arbitration
• Browse content in Company and Commercial Law
• Commercial Law
• Company Law
• Browse content in Comparative Law
• Systems of Law
• Competition Law
• Browse content in Constitutional and Administrative Law
• Government Powers
• Judicial Review
• Local Government Law
• Military and Defence Law
• Parliamentary and Legislative Practice
• Construction Law
• Contract Law
• Browse content in Criminal Law
• Criminal Procedure
• Criminal Evidence Law
• Sentencing and Punishment
• Employment and Labour Law
• Environment and Energy Law
• Browse content in Financial Law
• Banking Law
• Insolvency Law
• History of Law
• Human Rights and Immigration
• Intellectual Property Law
• Browse content in International Law
• Private International Law and Conflict of Laws
• Public International Law
• IT and Communications Law
• Jurisprudence and Philosophy of Law
• Law and Politics
• Law and Society
• Browse content in Legal System and Practice
• Courts and Procedure
• Legal Skills and Practice
• Primary Sources of Law
• Regulation of Legal Profession
• Medical and Healthcare Law
• Browse content in Policing
• Criminal Investigation and Detection
• Police and Security Services
• Police Procedure and Law
• Police Regional Planning
• Browse content in Property Law
• Personal Property Law
• Study and Revision
• Terrorism and National Security Law
• Browse content in Trusts Law
• Wills and Probate or Succession
• Browse content in Medicine and Health
• Browse content in Allied Health Professions
• Arts Therapies
• Clinical Science
• Dietetics and Nutrition
• Occupational Therapy
• Operating Department Practice
• Physiotherapy
• Radiography
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Browse content in Anaesthetics
• General Anaesthesia
• Neuroanaesthesia
• Browse content in Clinical Medicine
• Acute Medicine
• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Clinical Genetics
• Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
• Dermatology
• Endocrinology and Diabetes
• Gastroenterology
• Genito-urinary Medicine
• Geriatric Medicine
• Infectious Diseases
• Medical Toxicology
• Medical Oncology
• Pain Medicine
• Palliative Medicine
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Respiratory Medicine and Pulmonology
• Rheumatology
• Sleep Medicine
• Sports and Exercise Medicine
• Clinical Neuroscience
• Community Medical Services
• Critical Care
• Emergency Medicine
• Forensic Medicine
• Haematology
• History of Medicine
• Browse content in Medical Dentistry
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Paediatric Dentistry
• Restorative Dentistry and Orthodontics
• Surgical Dentistry
• Browse content in Medical Skills
• Clinical Skills
• Communication Skills
• Nursing Skills
• Surgical Skills
• Medical Ethics
• Medical Statistics and Methodology
• Browse content in Neurology
• Clinical Neurophysiology
• Neuropathology
• Nursing Studies
• Browse content in Obstetrics and Gynaecology
• Gynaecology
• Occupational Medicine
• Ophthalmology
• Otolaryngology (ENT)
• Browse content in Paediatrics
• Neonatology
• Browse content in Pathology
• Chemical Pathology
• Clinical Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics
• Histopathology
• Medical Microbiology and Virology
• Patient Education and Information
• Browse content in Pharmacology
• Psychopharmacology
• Browse content in Popular Health
• Caring for Others
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• Self-help and Personal Development
• Browse content in Preclinical Medicine
• Cell Biology
• Molecular Biology and Genetics
• Reproduction, Growth and Development
• Primary Care
• Professional Development in Medicine
• Browse content in Psychiatry
• Addiction Medicine
• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Forensic Psychiatry
• Learning Disabilities
• Old Age Psychiatry
• Psychotherapy
• Browse content in Public Health and Epidemiology
• Epidemiology
• Public Health
• Browse content in Radiology
• Clinical Radiology
• Interventional Radiology
• Nuclear Medicine
• Radiation Oncology
• Reproductive Medicine
• Browse content in Surgery
• Cardiothoracic Surgery
• Gastro-intestinal and Colorectal Surgery
• General Surgery
• Neurosurgery
• Paediatric Surgery
• Peri-operative Care
• Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• Surgical Oncology
• Transplant Surgery
• Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery
• Vascular Surgery
• Browse content in Science and Mathematics
• Browse content in Biological Sciences
• Aquatic Biology
• Biochemistry
• Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
• Developmental Biology
• Ecology and Conservation
• Evolutionary Biology
• Genetics and Genomics
• Microbiology
• Molecular and Cell Biology
• Natural History
• Plant Sciences and Forestry
• Research Methods in Life Sciences
• Structural Biology
• Systems Biology
• Zoology and Animal Sciences
• Browse content in Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Computational Chemistry
• Crystallography
• Environmental Chemistry
• Industrial Chemistry
• Inorganic Chemistry
• Materials Chemistry
• Medicinal Chemistry
• Mineralogy and Gems
• Organic Chemistry
• Physical Chemistry
• Polymer Chemistry
• Study and Communication Skills in Chemistry
• Theoretical Chemistry
• Browse content in Computer Science
• Artificial Intelligence
• Computer Architecture and Logic Design
• Game Studies
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Mathematical Theory of Computation
• Programming Languages
• Software Engineering
• Systems Analysis and Design
• Virtual Reality
• Browse content in Computing
• Business Applications
• Computer Security
• Computer Games
• Computer Networking and Communications
• Digital Lifestyle
• Graphical and Digital Media Applications
• Operating Systems
• Browse content in Earth Sciences and Geography
• Atmospheric Sciences
• Environmental Geography
• Geology and the Lithosphere
• Maps and Map-making
• Meteorology and Climatology
• Oceanography and Hydrology
• Palaeontology
• Physical Geography and Topography
• Regional Geography
• Soil Science
• Urban Geography
• Browse content in Engineering and Technology
• Agriculture and Farming
• Biological Engineering
• Civil Engineering, Surveying, and Building
• Electronics and Communications Engineering
• Energy Technology
• Engineering (General)
• Environmental Science, Engineering, and Technology
• History of Engineering and Technology
• Mechanical Engineering and Materials
• Technology of Industrial Chemistry
• Transport Technology and Trades
• Browse content in Environmental Science
• Applied Ecology (Environmental Science)
• Conservation of the Environment (Environmental Science)
• Environmental Sustainability
• Environmentalist Thought and Ideology (Environmental Science)
• Management of Land and Natural Resources (Environmental Science)
• Natural Disasters (Environmental Science)
• Nuclear Issues (Environmental Science)
• Pollution and Threats to the Environment (Environmental Science)
• Social Impact of Environmental Issues (Environmental Science)
• History of Science and Technology
• Browse content in Materials Science
• Ceramics and Glasses
• Composite Materials
• Metals, Alloying, and Corrosion
• Nanotechnology
• Browse content in Mathematics
• Applied Mathematics
• Biomathematics and Statistics
• History of Mathematics
• Mathematical Education
• Mathematical Finance
• Mathematical Analysis
• Numerical and Computational Mathematics
• Probability and Statistics
• Pure Mathematics
• Browse content in Neuroscience
• Cognition and Behavioural Neuroscience
• Development of the Nervous System
• Disorders of the Nervous System
• History of Neuroscience
• Invertebrate Neurobiology
• Molecular and Cellular Systems
• Neuroendocrinology and Autonomic Nervous System
• Neuroscientific Techniques
• Sensory and Motor Systems
• Browse content in Physics
• Astronomy and Astrophysics
• Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics
• Biological and Medical Physics
• Classical Mechanics
• Computational Physics
• Condensed Matter Physics
• Electromagnetism, Optics, and Acoustics
• History of Physics
• Mathematical and Statistical Physics
• Measurement Science
• Nuclear Physics
• Particles and Fields
• Plasma Physics
• Quantum Physics
• Relativity and Gravitation
• Semiconductor and Mesoscopic Physics
• Browse content in Psychology
• Affective Sciences
• Clinical Psychology
• Cognitive Psychology
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Criminal and Forensic Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Educational Psychology
• Evolutionary Psychology
• Health Psychology
• History and Systems in Psychology
• Music Psychology
• Neuropsychology
• Organizational Psychology
• Psychological Assessment and Testing
• Psychology of Human-Technology Interaction
• Psychology Professional Development and Training
• Research Methods in Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Browse content in Social Sciences
• Browse content in Anthropology
• Anthropology of Religion
• Human Evolution
• Medical Anthropology
• Physical Anthropology
• Regional Anthropology
• Social and Cultural Anthropology
• Theory and Practice of Anthropology
• Browse content in Business and Management
• Business Strategy
• Business Ethics
• Business History
• Business and Government
• Business and Technology
• Business and the Environment
• Comparative Management
• Corporate Governance
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Entrepreneurship
• Health Management
• Human Resource Management
• Industrial and Employment Relations
• Industry Studies
• Information and Communication Technologies
• International Business
• Knowledge Management
• Management and Management Techniques
• Operations Management
• Organizational Theory and Behaviour
• Pensions and Pension Management
• Public and Nonprofit Management
• Strategic Management
• Supply Chain Management
• Browse content in Criminology and Criminal Justice
• Criminal Justice
• Criminology
• Forms of Crime
• International and Comparative Criminology
• Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice
• Development Studies
• Browse content in Economics
• Agricultural, Environmental, and Natural Resource Economics
• Asian Economics
• Behavioural Finance
• Behavioural Economics and Neuroeconomics
• Econometrics and Mathematical Economics
• Economic Systems
• Economic History
• Economic Methodology
• Economic Development and Growth
• Financial Markets
• Financial Institutions and Services
• General Economics and Teaching
• Health, Education, and Welfare
• History of Economic Thought
• International Economics
• Labour and Demographic Economics
• Law and Economics
• Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics
• Microeconomics
• Public Economics
• Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics
• Welfare Economics
• Browse content in Education
• Adult Education and Continuous Learning
• Care and Counselling of Students
• Early Childhood and Elementary Education
• Educational Equipment and Technology
• Educational Strategies and Policy
• Higher and Further Education
• Organization and Management of Education
• Philosophy and Theory of Education
• Schools Studies
• Secondary Education
• Teaching of a Specific Subject
• Teaching of Specific Groups and Special Educational Needs
• Teaching Skills and Techniques
• Browse content in Environment
• Applied Ecology (Social Science)
• Climate Change
• Conservation of the Environment (Social Science)
• Environmentalist Thought and Ideology (Social Science)
• Natural Disasters (Environment)
• Social Impact of Environmental Issues (Social Science)
• Browse content in Human Geography
• Cultural Geography
• Economic Geography
• Political Geography
• Browse content in Interdisciplinary Studies
• Communication Studies
• Museums, Libraries, and Information Sciences
• Browse content in Politics
• African Politics
• Asian Politics
• Chinese Politics
• Comparative Politics
• Conflict Politics
• Elections and Electoral Studies
• Environmental Politics
• Ethnic Politics
• European Union
• Foreign Policy
• Gender and Politics
• Human Rights and Politics
• Indian Politics
• International Relations
• International Organization (Politics)
• International Political Economy
• Irish Politics
• Latin American Politics
• Middle Eastern Politics
• Political Methodology
• Political Communication
• Political Philosophy
• Political Sociology
• Political Behaviour
• Political Economy
• Political Institutions
• Political Theory
• Politics and Law
• Politics of Development
• Public Administration
• Public Policy
• Qualitative Political Methodology
• Quantitative Political Methodology
• Regional Political Studies
• Russian Politics
• Security Studies
• State and Local Government
• UK Politics
• US Politics
• Browse content in Regional and Area Studies
• African Studies
• Asian Studies
• East Asian Studies
• Japanese Studies
• Latin American Studies
• Middle Eastern Studies
• Native American Studies
• Scottish Studies
• Browse content in Research and Information
• Research Methods
• Browse content in Social Work
• Addictions and Substance Misuse
• Adoption and Fostering
• Care of the Elderly
• Child and Adolescent Social Work
• Couple and Family Social Work
• Direct Practice and Clinical Social Work
• Emergency Services
• Human Behaviour and the Social Environment
• International and Global Issues in Social Work
• Mental and Behavioural Health
• Social Justice and Human Rights
• Social Policy and Advocacy
• Social Work and Crime and Justice
• Social Work Macro Practice
• Social Work Practice Settings
• Social Work Research and Evidence-based Practice
• Welfare and Benefit Systems
• Browse content in Sociology
• Childhood Studies
• Community Development
• Comparative and Historical Sociology
• Economic Sociology
• Gender and Sexuality
• Gerontology and Ageing
• Health, Illness, and Medicine
• Marriage and the Family
• Migration Studies
• Occupations, Professions, and Work
• Organizations
• Population and Demography
• Race and Ethnicity
• Social Theory
• Social Movements and Social Change
• Social Research and Statistics
• Social Stratification, Inequality, and Mobility
• Sociology of Religion
• Sociology of Education
• Sport and Leisure
• Urban and Rural Studies
• Browse content in Warfare and Defence
• Defence Strategy, Planning, and Research
• Land Forces and Warfare
• Military Administration
• Military Life and Institutions
• Naval Forces and Warfare
• Other Warfare and Defence Issues
• Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution
• Weapons and Equipment

• < Previous chapter
• Next chapter >

6 The ‘New Wars’ Thesis Revisited

• Published: May 2011
• Cite Icon Cite
• Permissions Icon Permissions

This chapter focuses on the so-called ‘new wars’ that emerged in the late twentieth century. It examines the proposition that contemporary wars are ‘substantively distinct’ from older patterns of armed conflict and, as such, the ‘new wars’ reflect a new reality. Two related aspects to this general proposition are considered. The first concerns the idea of a historical disjunction between ‘old’ and ‘new’ wars and the accompanying argument that links the emergence of ‘new wars’ to two fundamental processes of change: globalization in the late twentieth century and the end of the Cold War. The second aspect concerns the actual features of the ‘new wars’ and the way in which ‘they differ from earlier wars in terms of their goals, the methods of warfare, and how they are financed’. The most interesting of these relates to the economic underpinnings of contemporary intra-state armed conflicts.

Personal account

• Sign in with email/username & password
• Get email alerts
• Save searches
• Purchase content
• Activate your purchase/trial code
• Add your ORCID iD

Institutional access

Sign in with a library card.

• Sign in with username/password
• Recommend to your librarian
• Institutional account management
• Get help with access

Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:

IP based access

Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.

Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.

• Click Sign in through your institution.
• Select your institution from the list provided, which will take you to your institution's website to sign in.
• When on the institution site, please use the credentials provided by your institution. Do not use an Oxford Academic personal account.
• Following successful sign in, you will be returned to Oxford Academic.

If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.

Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.

Society Members

Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:

Sign in through society site

Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:

• Click Sign in through society site.
• When on the society site, please use the credentials provided by that society. Do not use an Oxford Academic personal account.

If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.

Sign in using a personal account

Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.

A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.

Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.

Viewing your signed in accounts

Click the account icon in the top right to:

• View your signed in personal account and access account management features.
• View the institutional accounts that are providing access.

Signed in but can't access content

Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.

For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.

Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.

• About Oxford Academic
• Publish journals with us
• University press partners
• What we publish
• New features  
• Open access
• Rights and permissions
• Accessibility
• Advertising
• Media enquiries
• Oxford University Press
• Oxford Languages
• University of Oxford

Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide

• Copyright © 2024 Oxford University Press
• Cookie settings
• Cookie policy
• Privacy policy
• Legal notice

This Feature Is Available To Subscribers Only

Sign In or Create an Account

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription.

New Wars, New Morality?

• Review Article
• Published: 26 February 2009
• Volume 44 , pages 74–86, ( 2009 )

Cite this article

• Tjitske Akkerman 1  

1282 Accesses

3 Citations

Explore all metrics

Has war fundamentally changed? If so, it may be time for reconsidering accepted moral standards for waging wars and for conduct in war. The new war thesis holds that wars have fundamentally altered since the end of the Cold War. Proponents such as Kaldor and Weiss hold that wars today are intrastate rather than interstate and are primarily being fought in the context of fragmented states.This thesis has acquired broad support, but it has also raised various criticisms. Taking account of empirical evidence, this review starts with an assessment of the various aspects of the thesis. The new war thesis has important normative implications. It challenges the traditional presumption that the sovereign state is the only authority capable of legitimate political violence. It also questions traditional justifications for humanitarian military intervention and for restrictions of human rights in the war against terrorism. These challenges are taken up by just war theorists. The review concludes that while the new wars thesis tends to overestimate the novelty of empirical trends, the just war theorists risk to overemphasize the need for ethical renewal.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price includes VAT (Russian Federation)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Rent this article via DeepDyve

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

War Crimes and Just War Theory

Ethics, Force, and Power: On the Political Preconditions of Just War

The dualism of modern just war theory.

De Graaff, B. (2005) ‘The wars in former Yugoslavia in the 1990s: bringing the state back in’, in I. Duyvesteyn and J. Angstrom (eds.) Rethinking the Nature of War, London: Frank Cass, pp. 159–177.

Google Scholar  

Ellis, S. (2003) ‘The old roots of Africa's new wars’, Internationale Politik und Gesellschaft 2: 29–43.

Harbom, L. and Wallensteen, P. (2005) ‘Armed conflicts and its international dimensions, 1946–2004’, Journal of Peace Research 42 (5): 623–635.

Article   Google Scholar  

Holsti, K.J. (2004) Taming the Sovereigns: Institutional Change in International Politics, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Book   Google Scholar  

Hironaka, A. (2005) Neverending Wars: The International Community, Weak states, and the Perpetuation of Civil War, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Ignatieff, M. (2007) ‘Misluk de volgende keer beter, Bush’, NRC Handelsblad, August 28.

Kaldor, M. (1999) New & Old Wars. Organized Violence in a Global World, Cambridge: Polity Press.

Kalyvas, S.N. (2001) ‘“New”and “old” wars. A valid distinction?’ World Politics 54: 99–118.

Marshall, M.G. and Gurr, T.R. (2005) ‘Peace and conflict 2005’, CIDCM Report.

Newman, E. (2007) ‘The “new wars” debate: a historical perspective is needed’, Journal of Peace Research 44 (2): 173–190.

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Department of Political Science, University of Amsterdam, O.Z. Achterburgwal 237, Amsterdam, 1012 DL, The Netherlands

Tjitske Akkerman

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Akkerman, T. New Wars, New Morality?. Acta Polit 44 , 74–86 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1057/ap.2008.22

Download citation

Published : 26 February 2009

Issue Date : 01 April 2009

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1057/ap.2008.22

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• sovereignty
• humanitarian intervention
• Find a journal
• Publish with us
• Track your research

• Print this article

Research Article

In defence of new wars.

• Page/Article: Art. 4
• DOI: 10.5334/sta.at
• Published on 7 Mar 2013
• Peer Reviewed

You are here

The project, project team, contact, sponsors & donations, news & jobs, search options, browse all collections, search by collection, search by handbook chapters, search by keyword, full text search, collections, secondary literature.

• By Handbook Chapters
• By War Period
• Keyword Search

Autobiographies

• By Publication Date
• By War and Period
• By Director(s)
• By Release Date

GWonline Learning & Teaching

Material on selected conflicts, syllabus collection.

• Request new password

The ‘New Wars’ Debate: A Historical Perspective Is Needed

Type of Literature:

• Theory & Military
• Historiography
• History of Military & War general
• War & Warfare
• War & Violence

Time Period:

• 1990 - present
• 31. Gender, Wars of Globalization, and Humanitarian Interventions since the End of the Cold War

Selected Chapter:

• 31. Gender, Wars of Globalization and Humanitarian Interventions since the End of the Cold War
• Google Scholar

Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.

To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to  upgrade your browser .

Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.

• We're Hiring!
• Help Center

Same wars in new contexts: A testing of the 'new wars' thesis

Related Papers

Ozgur Tufekci

In the post-Cold war era, there has been a growing tendency to suggest the classification of 'new' wars, since the perception of the threat has changed. Since threats coming from within states have recently become dominant, many scholars have studied this development. The consensus they have reached is that this type of threat represents a different kind of war. Kalevi Holsti has named it a third kind of war (1996); Martin van Creveld has named it 'Low-Intensity Conflict' (1991); and Mary Kaldor has named it 'new war' (1999). This article will embrace Mary Kaldor's 'new war' concept and use it to analyse and describe this different kind of war and compare it with old wars. In contrast to these aforementioned arguments, some scholars, such as Edward Newman and Stathis N. Kalyvas, have argued that there are no new wars in the contemporary world. According to them, many features of the so-called new wars can be seen in old wars. This paper also aims to unfold whether the new wars are in fact new or not. To better observe this, first the characteristics of new wars and old wars will be considered and then they will be compared to find out what is distinctively new about so-called new wars. Öz Soğuk Savaş sonrası dönemde tehdit algısı değişmiş olduğundan ötürü savaşlarla ilgili 'yeni' sınıflandırmaların ortaya atılması yönünde eğilimler ortaya çıkmıştır. Devletlerin içinden gelen bu tehdit yaygınlaştıkça birçok akademisyen bu tehdit üzerine çalışma yapmaya başlamıştır. Genel olarak ulaşılan konsensüs bunun farklı bir tür savaş olduğudur. Bununla birlikte, Kalevi Holsti (1996) bunu üçüncü tür savaş olarak adlandırırken; Martin Van Creveld (1991) Düşük-yoğunluklu Çatışma olarak nitelendirmiş ve Mary Kaldor (1999) yeni savaş kullanımını tercih etmiştir. Bu makale Mary Kaldor'un 'yeni savaş' konseptini temel alarak bu yeni tehdidin eski savaşlardan farklarını açıklamaya çalışacaktır. Diğer taraftan, Edward Newman ve Stathis N. Kalyvas gibi bazı akademisyenler de modern dünyada yeni savaşların olmadığını savunmaktadırlar. Onlara göre yeni olduğu iddia edilen özellikler aslında eski savaşların özellikleridir. Bu noktada, bu makale yeni savaşların gerçekten yeni olup olmadığını sorgulayacaktır. Bu bağlamda ilk olarak eski ve yeni savaşların özellikleri incelenecek ve bu özellikler karşılaştırılarak 'yeni savaş'ların ayırt edici özelliklerinin var olup var olmadığına bakılacaktır.

Anouk S Rigterink

This paper investigates to what extent the ‘new war’ thesis, the notion that the character of warfare is progressively changing since the Second World War (Kaldor 2006), is supported by empirical evidence. Existing analyses (Chojnacki 2006, Melander et al. 2006, Newman 2004), commonly failing to find evidence in favour of the ‘new war’ thesis, focus on absolute trends and overall classifications of conflict, which may obscure trends within conflicts. This paper finds that within-conflict empirical evidence does support the idea that warfare increasingly targets civilians. Evidence on the participation of non-state combatants is mixed.

Journal of Law and Conflict Resolution

Dodeye Williams

Martí Nadal Pibernat

In this paper I confront the work of Mary Kaldor, the main ideologue of the new wars thesis that asserts that the end of the Cold War changed the nature of violent conflict, with the works of Colin M. Fleming, Stathis Kalyvas, Edward Newman and Bart Schuurman who contest this theory.

Marta Musolino

Sebahate J Shala

ABSTRACT In the last two decades, the international peace and security studies have been dominated by a debate over the alternations in the contemporary war—encouraged by the “New War.” The “New War” theory holds that “new wars” are different from earlier wars with respect to actors, goals, methods of fighting and means of financing. “New wars” are increasingly fought between state and non-state actors, on identity politics and economic predation, and primarily target civilians rather than military objectives. The historical and empirical accounts, including this paper, however do not support the “New War” propositions. This paper approaches the Islamic State war from the “New War” perspective; by utilizing academic and field research, as well as governmental and non-governmental and media reports, it argues that the Islamic State war cannot be classified as a “new” war for it displays features of both “new” and “old” wars. Key words: new wars; contemporary war; globalization; war economy; ideology; identity politics

Laura Cesaretti

Amare Kenaw

Despite the changes and continuities, war (usually defined as violence between state or organized political groups for political motives) and conflict have been at the roots of human history. Characterizing war and conflict as well as the means to end is also part of human social dynamism. It is therefore, the changes and continuities involved in human social dynamism, in war and conflict, that we call the changing features and patterns of contemporary conflict and earlier wars. For Contemporary conflict research, the early 1990s (the decadent stages of the cold war), was the period where the changing features of the ‘New Wars’ thesis begun. Undoubtedly, discrediting of the east-west tension after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the cooling of arms race fully changed the pattern of global politics of conflict. The number of interstate conflict in which the world has been most accustomed were reduced, but in parallel it increased the rate and the intensity of intrastate conflicts (Kaldor, 1991, 2007; Kalyvas, 2001; Fearon & Laitin, 2003). The long lived interstate conflicts in global history, and their everyday usage in media and politics established protected belts around the concept of war and conflict. Classification (total wars, minor conflicts) of violent conflicts (war or organized crimes) was common across human history based on the intensity, intended objectives, ramifications and or catastrophes. For the longer past, much of the debate, however, was on the ‘state’ centrality. The state was the ultimate referent object for the determination of war and ultimate security (Mearsheimer, 2001). The greater concentration of ‘state centrality’ to define and wage war therefore, pushed the distinction of earlier wars to be interstate. It was only towards the 1980s and 90s, with the emergence of some forms of high intensity internal conflicts slightly different from the earlier notion of wars, forced scholars, academicians and statesmen to coin a new ontology of war and conflict as ‘New Wars’. The literature on the departure between contemporary forms of conflict as vividly described by the “New War” thesis proponents (Gray, 1997; Kaldor, 1999), and earlier forms of war produced a wide range of scholastic debate with a mixed track record. In recent years, the ‘New Wars’ debate has gained momentum in academic circles. A number of scholars have argued that the patterns of violence are shifting, and the nature of contemporary wars are qualitatively and quantitatively different from the nature of earlier wars. However, this new thesis have been criticized by scholars from the outset for exaggerating the distinction points claimed to differentiate contemporary forms of conflict from the earlier forms of war, mainly from historical perspectives. Historical narratives suggest that the patterns of new wars also existed in the old wars too (Kalyvas, 2001; Henderson & Singer, 2002; Newman, 2004; Hiroyuki, 2010), and their argument compromises the validity and utility of the ‘New Wars’ thesis. This paper is not geared to discredit the ‘new wars’ thesis but directed to look on some exaggeration involved in the thesis while proposing departing elements between contemporary conflicts and earlier wars from a historical perspectives. To support the argument, the study used empirical illustrative examples from African conflicts and substantiate in line with historical context whether the thesis is a valid distinction. Finally, the study winds by jotting some concluding remarks regarding the debate on the ‘New Wars’ hypothesis and the various features worth considering in the study of contemporary civil wars that can contribute to policy dialogue and pave the panel to sustainable peace and development.

Nina Ait Saada

Loading Preview

Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.

RELATED PAPERS

Hiroyuki TOSA

Paper presented at the Swedish peace …

Stellan Vinthagen

Erik Melander , Jonathan Hall

Dr Shama Junejo

Jennifer Manning

Critical Studies on Security

Jacob Mundy

David A Pugh

Louis-Philippe Rouillard

RELATED TOPICS

•   We're Hiring!
•   Help Center
• Find new research papers in:
• Health Sciences
• Earth Sciences
• Cognitive Science
• Mathematics
• Computer Science
• Academia ©2024

Breadcrumbs Section. Click here to navigate to respective pages.

On the uselessness of new wars theory: Lessons from African conflicts

DOI link for On the uselessness of new wars theory: Lessons from African conflicts

Click here to navigate to parent product.

Mary Kaldor’s ‘new wars’ thesis was greeted as a breakthrough – and it was.1 It met resistance from some for not being radical enough in its analysis, and for not recognising the complex diversity of new wars.2 Briefly, what Kaldor did was to argue for a new approach towards the wars of today. Existing templates of analysis, established on strategic doctrines and rational purposes and planning, which it was assumed all belligerents would share, were clearly no longer applicable in all cases. Increasingly, wars seemed irrational and their accompanying slaughters gratuitous, amoral and certainly beyond the constraints of any Geneva conventions. Particularly in ‘unknown’ and ‘dark’ continents, wars assumed the aspect of savagery, having neither discernible justice in the reasons for conflict, nor just proportion in who was killed and how. The torturing and raping to death, the starving or kidnapping of children – their press-ganging into child militias – were all taken to be something both ‘new’ and, simultaneously, a throwback to primordial and primitive atrocities. The problem was that the ‘new’ wars, with their old savageries, were each different from the other. The temptation, when confronted by Kaldor, was to aggregate all new wars together, and the follow-on was to counterpose Western rationality and Augustinian limits and Geneva laws of war as ‘civilised’ ameliorations of war, against the brutality and unconsidered mindlessness of the ‘new’. But a ‘new’ war in the Democratic Republic of Congo would be, in fact, very different from one in Liberia – even though terrible things occurred in both. The genocide and war in Rwanda would be different to the attacks on Darfur, and they would be different from the wars between Eritrea and Ethiopia. Even if there was such a generalised thing as a ‘new’ African war, they would be in turn different from, say, ‘new’ wars in the Balkans, with the cold-blooded slaughter of thousands of men in, for instance, Srebrenica. There was almost universal acceptance, however, that Kaldor had initiated a departure in thought from the way ‘old wars’ had superimposed themselves – their conceptions, their purposes and their operational requirements – upon new wars that were very different; and, tellingly, which the modern world with its ethical values could neither restrain nor defeat. Acceptance of the new was the prerequisite for dealing with the new and, basically, restoring the ‘universal’ global values of what was ironically ‘old’.

• Privacy Policy
• Terms & Conditions
• Cookie Policy
• Taylor & Francis Online
• Taylor & Francis Group
• Students/Researchers
• Librarians/Institutions

Connect with us

Registered in England & Wales No. 3099067 5 Howick Place | London | SW1P 1WG © 2024 Informa UK Limited

• DOI: 10.1177/0967010604044975
• Corpus ID: 145104122

The ‘New Wars’ Debate: A Historical Perspective is Needed

• Published 1 June 2004
• Political Science, History
• Security Dialogue

237 Citations

The sociology of new wars assessing the causes and objectives of contemporary violent conflicts, relevance of mary kaldors new wars thesis in the 21st century, conflict research and the ‘decline’ of civil war.

• Highly Influenced
• 10 Excerpts

Historicizing the ‘New Wars’: The case of Jihad in the early years of Islam

Do 'new wars' theories contribute to our understanding of the african conflicts cases of rwanda and darfur, in defence of new wars, new wars in numbers : an empirical test of the ‘ new war ’ thesis, webs of war in the congo: the politics of hybrid wars, conflict networks, and multilateral responses 1996-2003, about a will to power: post-cold war conflicts and the politics of knowledge production, costa religion and the new wars debate, 43 references, new and old wars : organized violence in a global era.

• Highly Influential

The economic functions of violence in civil wars (special issue)

Warfare, endemic violence & state collapse in africa, shadow globalization, ethnic conflicts and new wars: a political economy of intra-state war, greed and grievance: economic agendas in civil wars (introduction), greed and grievance: economic agendas in civil wars, human security and constructivism, deliver us from evil : peacekeepers, warlords, and a world of endless conflict, uncivil wars: international security and the new internal conflicts, the state of the world's refugees: fifty years of humanitarian action., related papers.

Showing 1 through 3 of 0 Related Papers

• Browse by Year
• Browse by Subject
• Advanced Search

In defence of new wars

Kaldor, Mary (2013) In defence of new wars. Stability: International Journal of Security and Development, 2 (1). ISSN 2165-2627

This article reviews the literature on ‘new wars’. 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’. It argues that the obsession with the ‘newness’ of wars misses the point about the logic of new wars; that there is a blurring of war and crime but it is important to address the political elements of new wars; that, although the data should be used with caution, it does seem to offer support for some elements of the new war thesis; and that the argument is indeed post-Clausewitzean because new wars are not ‘contests of wills’ but more similar to a mutual enterprise. It concludes that the debate has greatly enriched the overall argument.

Actions (login required)

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics