This chapter concerns itself with the way in which China uses mainly non-kinetic means to broaden its power and influence in the South China Sea. The old writings of Sun Tzu and the modern writings of Liang and Xiangsui, together with the analysis of the tensions in the South China Sea, demonstrate that …

This chapter discusses a prime example of Western strategic communication in the final decades of the Cold War, i.e., the promotion and protection of human rights. Western human rights promotion was part of the ideological struggle between the two blocs and contributed to weakening Moscows hold over …

Influence and persuasion are gaining increased attention in warfare, but often social psychology approaches remain underused or neglected while this academic field has provided useful insights into this approach, especially as a non-kinetic capability. To effectively influence and persuade, we need to …

Law, in particular international law, plays an increasingly significant role in todays military operations. In accordance with the principle of the rule of law, States can deploy their armed forces abroad based on a clear legal foundation while the deployed forces must operate within the applicable rules. …

Understanding the nature of the war, and the broader strategic and operational environment is of great importance for effective decision-making. However, most of todays military missions are multidimensional having military, political, economic, and judicial aims. As a result, military organizations …

In this chapter it is argued that within the framework of the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC), attack and kinetic operations can be used as equivalents where military operations that do not constitute attacks have a large overlap with non-kinetic operations. These topics present more than just a linguistic …

Since Russia occupied Crimea in March 2014, the Western world has been searching for explanations how this operation was conducted and why it came as a surprise for many military and international relations subject matter experts. The Western media followed by NATO called the Russian activities a form …

International conflict resolution increasingly involves the use of non-military power and non-kinetic capabilities alongside military capabilities in the face of hybrid threats. In this book, counter-measures to those threats are addressed by academics with both practical and theoretical experience and …

This chapter offers a critical inquiry of the current process of United Nations (UN)-Arab League mediation in the Syrian war, in order to explain the effectiveness and implications of international mediation as a non-kinetic (non-coercive) asset in strategies that address this war. The Syrian war is …

Sanctions are a frequently employed diplomatic instrument to exert influence. However, it is also a relatively poorly understood instrument that, while seductive because it seems easy to employ and relatively risk-free, is also criticized for lack of effectiveness. In particular in the past decade UN …