Οι νέοι πόλεμοι: Νέοι εχθροί και νέες μορφές πολέμου

by Herfried Münkler, Νίκος Κοτζιάς (Foreword), Αναστασία Δασκαρόλη (Translator)

H εποχή των πολέμων μεταξύ κρατών προφανώς οδεύει προς το τέλος της. O πόλεμος όμως δεν έχει εξαφανιστεί, άλλαξε μόνο εμφάνιση. Στους νέους πολέμους τον κύριο ρόλο δεν τον διαδραματίζουν πλέον τα κράτη αλλά οι οπλαρχηγοί, οι μισθοφόροι και οι τρομοκράτες. H βία κατευθύνεται κυρίως εναντίον του άμαχου πληθυσμού. Oυρανοξύστες μετατρέπονται σε πεδία μάχης, τηλεοπτικές εικόνες μετατρέπονται σε όπλα. Ο Xέρφριντ Mύνκλερ φανερώνει τις συνέπειες αυτής της εξέλιξης. Δείχνει πώς η εξαφάνιση της κλασικής μάχης και του μετώπου οδηγεί στη βαθμιαία άρση της διάκρισης μεταξύ πολέμου και ειρήνης. Eξηγεί πώς μπορούν να αντιμετωπιστούν οι ιδιαίτεροι κίνδυνοι που εγκυμονούν οι νέοι πόλεμοι. O κλασικός πόλεμος μεταξύ κρατών φαίνεται να έχει γίνει ιστορικό μοντέλο υπό εξαφάνιση. Τα κράτη έχουν παραιτηθεί από το μονοπώλιο του πολέμου. Ποιος όμως πήρε τη θέση τους; Kαι ποια είναι τα χαρακτηριστικά των νέων πολέμων;

Genres: War, Politics, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, History, Sociology, German Literature

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Herfried Münkler is a German political scientist. He is a Professor of Political Theory at Humboldt University in Berlin. Münkler is a regular commentator on global affairs in the German-language media and author of numerous books on the history of political ideas (German: Ideengeschichte), on state-building and on the theory of war, such as "Machiavelli" (1982), "Gewalt und Ordnung" (1992), "The New Wars" (orig. 2002) and "Empires: The Logic of World Domination from Ancient Rome to the United States" (orig. 2005). In 2009 Münkler was awarded the Leipzig Book Fair Prize in the category "Non-fiction" for Die Deutschen und ihre Mythen (engl. "the Germans and their myths").

Reviews

[Yannic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Herfried Münkler arbeitet konzise und für ein breites Publikum heraus, was die "neuen Kriege" ausmacht und welche Herausforderungen für die Lösung dieser Konflikte entstehen. Dabei zehrt er von seiner Kennerschaft über den Dreissigjährigen Krieg und bringt eine wichtige historische Tiefendimension in seine Überlegungen ein. Schön ist auch, dass sich Münkler nicht zu schade ist, sein Konzept in zahlreichen Interviews und Vorträgen in die Öffentlichkeit zu tragen. Wer keine Zeit zur Lektüre hat, dem sei der folgende Beitrag empholen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlrQL...

[Muhammed KARAKUŞ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ne tam akademik ne tam sistematik bir anlatım şekli var. Ama günümüz aktör geçişlerini anlamak için temel bir kitap

[Cormac Healy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't find one with the English title, but the translation I have is called The New Wars.

Definitely worth reading for anyone with an interest in political and economic theory around conflict, the historical sections I thought were concise ages informative. Where I thought it fell down slightly were the over emphasis on economic motivators for warlords in the New Wars, as opposed to social and cultural, or should I say ethnic, motivations. Also, the fact he thought the war on Afghanistan had ended in 2002 was a bit of a shocker.

3.5/5

[Julian Cote · Rating 5 out of 5]

Para aquellos que busquen entender la evolución de las guerras, este es un libro práctico que te explica los factores y elementos que se han ido modificando a lo largo del tiempo. Los dos conceptos clave del libro son "simetría y asimetría de la violencia".

[Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, some of the fault must lie with me. I'm sure that when this came out, it was revelatory - today it feels a bit like stating the obvious (and missing a key thing or two).

However, even the obvious must have come from somewhere, and it's my understanding that Münkler made a significant contribution to our then-nascent understanding with this volume. Some of his insights still ring true; while it's become trendy to dismiss comparisons between the modern Middle East and the Thirty Years' War, he manages to avoid the obvious (and misleading) parallels and instead looks at the relationship between citizenry and combatants.

The marauding armies of seventeenth century Europe lived "off the land," which in their case meant a lot of foraging and pillaging the crops and holdings of the local inhabitants. This set a finite bound on the sustainability of combat operations, whereas under contemporary conditions the involvement of third parties - even if just for humanitarian purposes - allows a conflict to justify and support itself, and indeed metastasize to encompass a wider arena. It is no coincidence that the Thirty Years' War was concluded with the Peace of Westphalia, laying the foundation for the "statization" of war, and its gradual assumption into the remit of central governments.

New Wars can be a bit repetitive at times, and some of its findings are self-evident to the point of uselessness, but on the whole, a good and formative little book, and worth your time if you can spare it.

[Marion Kipiani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein ausgezeichnetes Buch, das uf vom durch Mary Kaldor geprägten Begriff der "neuen Kriege" aufbaut. Herfried Münkler entwirrt das Geflecht an Definitionen und Begriffen zu Krieg, Terrorismus, Kriegsökonomie und Intervention, und arbeitet schlüssig heraus, was an den "neuen" Kriegen tatsächlich neu ist. Dabei beschränkt sich der Autor nicht darauf, was sie von den Clausewitz'schen Kriegen des 18. und 19. Jahrhundert unterscheidet. Er zeigt auch auf, dass die neuen Kriege grundsätzlich unterschieden werden müssen von den früheren Kriegen (dh, jenen bis einschließlich des Dreißigjährigen Krieges), da es sich bei den neuen Kriegen nicht um staatsformende, sonder um staatszersetzerische Konflikte handelt (inwieweit die Geschichte langfristig diesem Argument Recht geben wird, muss sich allerdings noch weisen). Besonders interessant ist bei Münkler der besondere Fokus auf die Mechanismen der "offenen Kriegsökonomie" sowie auf den quasi instrumentellen (dh keineswegs irrationellen) Einsatz von Gräueltaten, ethnischen Säuberungen, Massakern, sexualisierter Gewalt etc in den neuen Kriegen. Der Autor beschäftigt sich ebensfalls mit der Frage des Kosmopolitismus und der Intervention zum Schutz der Menschenrechte, kommt aber in beider Hinsicht zu einem sehr pessimistischen Schluss.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Durch dieses Buch wird einem richtig klar, was auf unserer Erde geschieht, und wie schlimm das Ganze wirklich ist. :/

[Frau Spätzle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Herfried Münkler hat in diesem Buch ein äußert relevantes Thema sehr lesenswert aufbereitet. Uneingeschränkte Leseempfehlung.

[Zare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative book that draws some pretty harrowing parallels between past, present and future.

History is very interesting phenomenon. It is said that man who does not know history is destined to repeat it. So isnt it interesting that in this time and place where knowledge is available to anyone we again see powerful people doing the same mistakes as their historical predecessors. People are short sighted in general - no matter the education people dont see beyond their lifespan. From time to time few people appear that try to plan for greater time-span and they succeed, they bring some form of control is and peace is brought back - but this very peace time causes the problem - people forget very soon the horrors of the past and we go back to square one.

Thats in general message of the book. After centuries of bloody feuds, mercenary captains prolonging the wars for their own benefits (not unlike the Yojimbo) states are established and with them rules of conduct. Are these rules always followed - of course not. But they existed and those not following them would end up pariahs - so most of them tried to adhere to the rules because risking economic sanctions is never fun. Fact is - without rules mayhem takes place in which some make great fortunes but majority suffers.

As long as there is a dictionary definition of "just war", as long is war cheap for general public of nation willing to go to war (due to either use of advanced stand off weaponry or proxy soldiers (be that mercenaries or crime syndicates)) and as long there are states that feel that general rules of engagement are there to be applied to others and not to them there will always be an instability. Use of proxy forces only worsenes the situation and allows the rise of war profiteers on every side. Modern conflicts show that is more than sufficient to have one genration raised in abnormal post-war, constant-tension environment to forever break that society. Path leading back to normality becomes ever so longer as years pass by.

Is conflict constant in nature? Sure it is but if left uncontrolled it can bring everything down. That is why rules where established in the first place. Constant war destroys everything - it is based on pillage, destruction and robbery. War industry is the only means of industry and production in this case, but this industry brings nothing to society itself. It only enriches the people running that type of industry.

So what happens is nothing new - means of waging war are new, deadlier and mores sophisticated but general politics and various economic interests are always the same. While various modern mercenaries, condotieris and privateers are free to roam and do what they like wars will not end but slowly burn until there is nothing left in conflict zones and local population knows nothing else than constant war. And when everything is destroyed conflict will try finding the way of sustaining itself because many will depend upon it.

Hopefully international community is smarter than to allow this to happen. Or is it?

[Mz · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://bookpress.gr/kritikes/idees/1...

[Isi · Rating 2 out of 5]

When this came out in Germany after 9/11, it made a lot of waves, but the author's story of "new" asymmetrical wars adds little for those familiar with the more nuanced US debate on asymmetrical warfare. Where the American debate has been belated, Münkler is later still, and where the conversation in the US lacks subtlety, this book does too, but more so. "Economics of violence" are discussed, as is terrorism, but especially the latter is presented outside the broader context of insurgency strategies. The book's title, "The new wars" already alerts to the author's confusion about forms of organized violence he cannot understand in any meaningful context except that they are "new" to him. Hard to excuse for someone who fancies himself an expert on violent conflict, even in 2001.

[Mikko · Rating 1 out of 5]

The idea that the economic dimension of asymmetric warfare needs more scholarly attention shows up now and again but Münkler fails to develop it in any significant way. Otherwise the book meanders from renaissance Italy to modern Iraq without insight or structure. Mostly things are just mentioned and perhaps discussed with a paragraph or two but the whole feels detached and random. Terms are also thrown out fairly flippantly and the fact checking has not been of very high quality. Luckily the book is very short though.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting take of how the current nature of warfare is reflective of global inequalities. Makes for thought provoking questions; do the new wars of the 21st century turn Max Weber on his head? What is the defining characteristic of the nation-state? What is legitimate warfare, and even more, what is legitimate intervention, if intervention is at all legitimate?

[Христо Блажев · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Новите войни” на Херфрид Мюнклер – изследване на наистина високо ниво
http://www.knigolandia.info/2010/04/b...

Признавам, не очаквах мног�� от тази книга. Мислех, че ще бъде халтурна публицистика без нищо ново, освен маркиране на някакви нови тенденции във военните действия.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most influential books I read in college. It added a new understanding to present day conflicts.