Notes on War(making) in the 21st Century

From trenches to touchscreens, the art of war has shifted from territory to technology, but its essence remains rooted in politics and the human mind.

- Wajahat Qazi

One pithy aphorism from the great philosopher and theorist of war, Sun Tzu, is: “The art of war is winning without fighting.” This may seem like an oxymoronic idea.

But in the 21st century, it seems that Sun Tzu’s dictum can be applied to picture perfection, almost.

First, let me break down the meaning and implications of this aphorism.

Essentially, Sun Tzu seems to suggest that war is a psychological exercise, and that success or failure in battle is decided in the minds of men and women.

This is not to say that actual combat is unnecessary. It is not.

But when the psychological strength of generals and strategists is either depleted or renewed, that is where war begins or ends.

Whether it was the trench warfare of World War I, the total war of World War II, or the quasi-war and containment of the former USSR by the West (led by the US), the material dimensions were important, but the psychological factor remained paramount.

However, one common denominator among these was territory. In other words, territorial gains or losses were central. Has this changed?

To some extent, during the ‘roaring nineties,’ the heyday of globalization, it was believed that territory was no longer relevant. War was almost passé. What mattered was geo-economics.

In this framework, territory became a mere variable that had outlived its utility as a cause or determinant of war. It was the mindshare of humankind, the “head-to-head competition” between nations in financial and other markets, that had replaced war.