The Defender's Dilemma: Identifying and Deterring Gray-Zone Aggression

by Elisabeth Braw

While much of the West worries about a physical invasion, gray-zone aggression is taking place every day — and it is hard to detect because it often looks like the normal bustle of daily life.

Gray-zone aggression is happening because it is exceedingly easy to attack liberal democracies in the gray zone between war and peace. Indeed, it is distinctly advantageous to use nonmilitary means of aggression. Doing so brings the attacking side the benefits it seeks, which may be industrial prowess rather than territorial gains. It makes the defender’s task harder; indeed, the aggression is extremely difficult to deter. For years, Western governments and businesses have worked to strengthen their defense against cyberattacks. Many have strengthened their offensive cyber capabilities. Governments and the wider public in Europe and North America have experienced the effects of disinformation campaigns against their societies, and myriad government and civil-society initiatives are trying to limit the spread of disinformation and make the public more resilient to such content. Yet the aggression continues, often by simply taking on new guises.

This book is intended as a resource for policymakers, members of the armed forces, industry leaders, and wider civil society. Western governments cannot simply impose gray-zone deterrence. Instead, it is in the interest of all members of society to play a role in gray-zone defense and deterrence, as everyone stands to benefit. By extension, so does each country.

312 pages, ebook

Published October 5, 2021