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New Wars and State Building - A case study on the changed dynamics in New Wars and how it can affect state building in Syria

Werner, Freja LU (2017) STVK02 20171
Department of Political Science
Abstract
The experience drawn from the wars in the early modern era in Europe suggest that interstate wars lead to centralization of power and resources. These wars are also strongly associated with state building and were a crucial component in the formation of the modern state. Though another dynamic can be perceived in contemporary warfare. The wars we see today differ in actors, motives, methods of warfare and the way they are financed. The New War theory challenges the dominating Clausewitzean perception of war and argues for a fundamental change in the logic of wars and shows that contemporary wars have to be understood in the context of globalization. Tendencies of new war can be seen in the Syrian war. This study examines how the new... (More)
The experience drawn from the wars in the early modern era in Europe suggest that interstate wars lead to centralization of power and resources. These wars are also strongly associated with state building and were a crucial component in the formation of the modern state. Though another dynamic can be perceived in contemporary warfare. The wars we see today differ in actors, motives, methods of warfare and the way they are financed. The New War theory challenges the dominating Clausewitzean perception of war and argues for a fundamental change in the logic of wars and shows that contemporary wars have to be understood in the context of globalization. Tendencies of new war can be seen in the Syrian war. This study examines how the new dynamics in new wars can shape the future in Syria from a state building perspective. I argue that the high presence of external actors and their increased interference in new wars affect state building. The result suggests that the presence external actors and their involvement prevents centralization of resources and power, and decrease the state’s monopoly on violence and this decentralization and privatization in new wars indicates on fragmentation of the state rather than state consolidation. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Werner, Freja LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVK02 20171
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
New Wars, Old wars, Syria, State Building, External Actors
language
English
id
8907636
date added to LUP
2017-07-11 15:40:23
date last changed
2017-07-11 15:40:23
@misc{8907636,
  abstract     = {{The experience drawn from the wars in the early modern era in Europe suggest that interstate wars lead to centralization of power and resources. These wars are also strongly associated with state building and were a crucial component in the formation of the modern state. Though another dynamic can be perceived in contemporary warfare. The wars we see today differ in actors, motives, methods of warfare and the way they are financed. The New War theory challenges the dominating Clausewitzean perception of war and argues for a fundamental change in the logic of wars and shows that contemporary wars have to be understood in the context of globalization. Tendencies of new war can be seen in the Syrian war. This study examines how the new dynamics in new wars can shape the future in Syria from a state building perspective. I argue that the high presence of external actors and their increased interference in new wars affect state building. The result suggests that the presence external actors and their involvement prevents centralization of resources and power, and decrease the state’s monopoly on violence and this decentralization and privatization in new wars indicates on fragmentation of the state rather than state consolidation.}},
  author       = {{Werner, Freja}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{New Wars and State Building - A case study on the changed dynamics in New Wars and how it can affect state building in Syria}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}