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 …

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 …

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

This chapter discusses ISIL ’ s marketing techniques. We think that, due to its strong and successful branding and communication strategies, from a marketing perspective ISIL can be considered a leader on the market of terror produced by violent non-state actors (VNSAs). We propose ISIL can be fought …

The realm of strategy, to quote Lawrence Freedman, is one of bargaining and persuasion as well as threats and pressure, psychological as well as physical effects, and words as well as deeds. This is why strategy is the central political art. It is about getting more out of a situation than the starting …

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 …

Following the withdrawal of large scale military contingents from Afghanistan and Iraq, enthusiasm in the Western world for what has been called armed state-building seems to have sunk to an all-time low. This is not entirely surprising given the high stakes and the meagre results of the massive efforts …

This chapter addresses the remarkable disconnect between resilience literature and military theory. War puts high demands on the resilience of military organizations. Western militaries have adopted organizational and operational concepts to cope with the myriad challenges of violence, turbulence, uncertainty …