The Future of Warfare- Thought Paper

The Future of Warfare- Thought Paper

At the beginning of the quarter, I was discussing the war on Afghanistan with my father, a graduate of USC with a degree in Political Science. He said to me, ?War is nothing more than politics gone awry. Just remember- It's all shades of gray, my son. Ain't any black and white except on an old TV?. After mulling over this for several weeks, I came to the profound conclusion that war between states was quickly becoming obsolete. As we explore the politics of the twenty first century, we can draw the conclusion that global conflict as we know it is nearing an end. Within the next one hundred years, warfare maybe all but over. Advocates of both liberalism and realism can see beyond a reasonable doubt that the end of large scale armed conflict is imminent. Remaining conflicts will be small skirmishes between groups and civil disturbances.

English: Looking south from Top of the Rock, New Y...

English: One Brigade of the U.S. 3rd Armored Divis...

English: United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Ann...

On a theoretical level, realism is a doctrine that believes that humans have an inherent drive for conflict and power (Kegley and Wittkopf 2001, p.414). Because war is the direct result of the decisions of the people who run states and decide on a course of war; it therefore is necessary to examine human nature. One of the realist?s concepts that reveal the future of warfare is called the balance of power. (Global Issues 2001 Article 23). The balance of power means that peace and stability will be maintained when no single power can dominate or suppress others. In previous wars, a single state was being suppressed by another and that has lead to armed conflict. We can see this in the Gulf War, and numerous times throughout history. If that country had an adequate and equal military, then the likelihood of conflict would decrease. In...