Political Asymmetries in the Era of Globalization: The Asymmetric Security and Defense Relations from a Worldwide View

Product Description At the latest since 9/11 the phenomenon of the «asymmetry» or, more common, the «asymmetric warfare» has become a subject within International Relations. So, highly unequal parties face each other in asymmetric warfare, with one of them trying to inflict major damage on the other by making only a minor effort. Since the time when interstate wars started to disappear, the traditional ideas of wars have become useless and obsolete as a basis for political decision-making. For several years policy-makers, officials, and writers on defence and foreign policy have employed the terms «asymmetric» or «asymmetry» to characterize everything from the nature of the threats we face to the nature of war and beyond. Labelling current and future threats as «asymmetric» diminishes our understanding of the threat environment. In the age of globalization, of new threats, new and even revolutionary technologies, and new forms of military operations, the requirement for clear thinking increases commensurately. Authors from four continents will follow this new way of thinking. Review «An extremely interesting book both in terms of the detailed information containd within it and its determinedly security-oriented style. (NDu, Bulletin Quotidien Europe) About the Author The Editor: Josef Schröfl, Colonel of the Austrian Armed Forces; Political Scientist; Fullbright Graduated University of Delaware (2005); present Posting at the Austrian MOD, Departement for Military Strategy; lectures and writes on Asymmetries, Asymmetric Warfare and Strategic Cultures.