This thesis maps out the development of virtual and networked warfare, from the anti-Soviet Afghan insurgency through to the 1991, Gulf War and the ongoing violence of the `war on terror'. I demonstrate that we have seen two parallel developments over the past few decades: the US has become able to dominate the fighting of large-scale, high-tech virtual wars, and opponents of US-led forces are able to deploy techniques of networked warfare that US-led forces cannot effectively combat. It is therefore the case that US-led `successes' in the major combat operations phases of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom are being followed by a US-led failure to deal with the networked warfare of Afghan, Iraqi and other insurgent groups. This thesis investigates the policy impact of these developments, and their broader ethical and political implications. I demonstrate that - if we are to ameliorate the ongoing bloodshed in Afghanistan and Iraq, and avoid carrying out additional military interventions that generate networked opposition to which we do not have an effective response- there is a real need for an ethical engagemenwt ith others,a nd for more effective participation in the ideational aspects of conflict.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:478863 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Mendel, Jonathan Michael |
| Publisher | Durham University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/1319/ |
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