Chronic Conflict in the Global World: Right at Your Doorstep or on Your Computer

Chronic Conflict in the Global World: Right at Your Doorstep or on Your Computer

https://pjmedia.com/richardfernandez/the-armies-of-shadow/

Excerpt: Modern warfare as practiced less resembles WWII than the rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel or the shooting up of "Easter worshippers" in Sri Lanka. The goal isn't the capture of geographical features but to gain media column inches, invitations to talk shows, followers on Twitter and the like. The objective is not the conquest of a state but its takeover by means of assisting to power the domestic political force most congenial to the attacker. "Collusion" and political effects are not the exception but the entire point of modern hostile operations. The 2020 election, not Sugarloaf Hill, is the new high ground. In fairness, this is exactly the game America is playing against Iran. The U.S. doesn't want to conquer territory but ensure that a "moderate" or "reformist" faction comes to power in Tehran. It would be silly to think China and Russia are not trying the same stunt on Washington. That's why the cry "sappers are in the wire" is still valid even though it's a different kind of sapper and a different kind of wire: the Internet and 5G. (If the author, Richard Fernandez, is correct in this assessment, we're in for a long slog with little to show for it in the Middle East. Ron P.)