LIMITED WAR AND WAR TODAY

LIMITED WAR AND WAR TODAY

(Lt Col Mohd Radzi Abd Hamid)

INTRODUCTION

In the Stone Age, peoples fighting with everything that they can obtain from surrounding such as stone, stick, and bones. Peoples or group of tribes have involved in war because they do not have much choice. War occurs because of survival, the survival of the people, the survival of the tribes and the survival of life – shelter, woman and foods. War is always limited in everything. The evolution of weapons used in war is an expansion of limited capabilities and limited effects. At the beginning, war remains small and only involved two tribes or two families in the same tribe. Then, war was involved between men to between tribe and later between states (initiators and targets). The initiators believed the targets will not receive any third party help and they can be defeated without such help. Probably in that age, there is no philosopher or thinker to state that to fight for shelter, woman and foods or an area is a war. Most of war remains limited. Limited in their participation, used of weapons and involvement of third party but how or what factors had contributed to third party involvement or to most destruction weapons. The answers are simple because it is ‘limited’.

On the other hand, probably at the earlier stage, the philosopher has come out with an idea to say that there is not a war at all because it is at small scale or the term ‘WAR’ still not created yet. Then people will be thinking something bigger from what they have done before. The initiators which thinking can defeat the targets without help suddenly realized that they are unable to defeat because the targets are stronger. Because of limited capabilities, the initiators start to look for help from other states and develop their capabilities either in weapons or in tactics. It also happens to the targets states, when they have realized that they cannot or unable to defend and then they are looking for help. Therefore war becomes bigger and bigger. At the critical point, when bigger initiators and target states go to war, everybody starts to look for something, which they are thinking, can defeat the targets states or be able to defend them. It is such like a tactics and strategy which on force of using a secret or new weapons. Let employ something new and analyze the impacts. It is from bow and arrow to gunpowder and to the atomic bomb. The objective is to win the war but after witnesses the impacts of atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the humanity sides have merged. After 1990s, 90 percent of deaths related to war were civilians, killed in their own homes and communities (woman and Children). Then, peoples or states start to think the rationality of war and the mass destruction from atomic war. Because of the mass destruction, the strategists start to think how to limit the destruction or limiting the nuclear. That is what we call war today – ‘second nuclear age’. As per mention by John Baylis, James Wirtz, Collins and Cohen (2007), war can be fought for wide range of objectives, from quest for land and resources to the utter destruction of the enemy. This in conjunction with Clausewitz argument that wars fought for limited aims and unlimited aims.

This paper cover the definition, the origin, the characteristic and the issues. To get a better perspective, the paper will take a Vietnam War and Indo-Pak war as an example in order to relate to the theory. To understand war today, the paper will analyze the war, which happen today (from Iraq War until now) and try to identify the characteristic. At the end of the paper, the discussion will look either both wars are related or have the similarities.

LIMITED WAR

Definition

There are various definitions on limited war. It is a term used for categorizing the type of warfare because of the affect by nuclear or weapons of mass destruction. The United States military dictionary, offered three definitions on limited war. The first definition was focused on objectives and used of nuclear weapons; “…a war in which the weapons used, the nations or territory involved, or the objectives pursued are restricted in some way, in particular one in which the used of nuclear weapons is avoided…”. The second definition was focused on used of nation’s resources and aim a war that was conducted with less than a nation's total resources and restricted in aim to less than total defeat of the enemy. The third definition was focused on the targets areas and the nation involved; “…a war was restricted to a relatively small area of the world and involving few warning nations…”.

The Penguin dictionary of International Relations has classified limited war as a term used in strategic analysis. It provided two main opinions to understand limited war. They are:

1. If a party lacks the capability to fight a total war then this is not an example of limited war.

2. Limited war is akin to someone fighting with one hand tied behind his or her back; they have a capacity, which remains potential rather than actual.

Karen A. Mingst (2001) defined limited war based on the goals to be pursued, the type of weapons to be used, and the targets. Example of limited war is the Korean War, Vietnam War, Indo-Pak War and Gulf War, which found in limited ways from the perspectives of the United States. The United States and its allies as initiators have decided the targets or the enemy (North Korea and China, North Vietnam and its allies, and Iraq) were to be defeated in a specified territory. Then they have decided the type of weapons to use. It is conventional weapons were used such as tank, foot soldier, aircraft and missiles. Even the United States has the availability of nuclear weapons but not deployed.

The origin/history of Limited War

International relations scholars have developed numerous classifications to war categories. According to Karen A. Mingst, there have four types of war; general war , civil war , limited war and terrorism . The basic understanding on general war, civil war, and terrorism are easily understood but for limited war is quite complicated because its involved with human will and survival (David T. Mason and Patrick Fett 1996 and Rodin and David 2006). As mentioned earlier, war begins with limited in every aspect and begins to expand with the capabilities and effects and later to limit it because of destruction.

Academically, the foundation of limited war found in Liddle Hart’s theory in the 1920s. Liddle Hart has stated that Europe’s military leaders had lost sight of the true objectives of war. Consequently had mishandled the conduct of the First World War. According to him, the purpose of war is “…to ensure a resumption of the peacetime policy with the shortest and least costly interruption of the normal life of the country…”. He had related the grand strategy with the objective of war, which he called, colors blind exponents. After the first atomic bomb was bombed in Japan, Liddle Hard has came out with an analysis on the impacts of the new weapons. In his analysis, he had discussed about the incompatibility of nuclear war. To avoid massive destruction or catastrophe because of the effect of nuclear, Liddle Hart has suggested that those countries go to war must refer to codes limiting war; “…based on the realistic view that war is likely to occur again and that the limitation of their destructiveness is in everybody’s interest…”

Others understanding on limiting war is come from the Prussian General Carl Von Clausewitz (1943). Clausewitz has described the nature of war, as “… war is not merely a political act but also a political instruments, a continuation of political relations, a carrying out of the same by other means…” In order to carry out war, the initiators and adversaries have to make a significant decision, which is to decide the ‘means’. The ‘means’ that parties decided before go to war must suit to the kind of war will be fought. Later, peoples will decide what kind of weapons and strategy to use. This has created the nature of war in various forms such as an area, weaponry, tactics and strategy.

However, in the study of the evolution of weapons, the first weapons was developed with the destruction power is ‘bow and arrow’. It also known as ‘flying ghost’, which the scariest and most threaten weapons at that time. The most significant battle during invasion of France by King Edward III was the Battle of Crecy . In the Battle of Crecy, both sides’ heavily use bow and arrow. It estimated each side were used more than 15,000 arrows. Later the English man had introduced a long arrow , which was a destruction weapons at that time. Therefore, bow and arrow not allowed in Flanders for the purpose of peace in 1120. In 1139, Second Lateran Council has put up rules for not using the bow and arrow especially in war against the Christian (Thomas 2010).Later on, the peoples who used bow and arrow in war, is consider as the most uncivilized. However, because of power destruction, peoples are willing to break the rules and use it for any purpose especially to fight and to defend.

Actually, the practice of limiting war found earlier than Liddle Hart’s theory. It is from the Prophet of Muhamad S.A.W. According to Abdullah bin Umar r.a; “there have an incident where a women were killed in war which lead by the prophet. Then, Prophet of Muhammad has stated that from now Muslims were not allowed to kill women and children in war”. Besides putting the limit in targets, Islam also has limited war in term of time. The mighty Allah stated in Surah Al-Baqarah, sentence 217; “…Your peoples asking you (Muhammad) about the rules of war in respectful month. Told them that, is a big sin to occur in war in respectful month…”. Islam had putting various limitations in war such as limited targets, times and areas. Beside that, Islam also lay a line of action in term of balance towards war.

Why Limited War

Through short research, to answer why peoples are trying to limit war or putting the rules in to war, the only absolute answer is because of the impacts of nuclear war to disastrous and out of imaginable. The First and Second World War were a classical example of the ‘Total War’ and ‘disastrous’. Both caused the most massive and sustained mobilization of the human and material resources of the nation states involved. The end of Second World War saw the advent of nuclear weapons. After the first used of atomic bomb in Hiroshima, 80,000 citizens in Hiroshima city had died immediately and 125,000 citizens within a week because of the radiation and three generations affected. On 9 August 1945, the second atomic bomb was bombed in Nagasaki. It cause more than 50,000 citizens died immediately and more than 100,000 citizens died later because of the radiation (Thomas 2010). Even though, only used for two times in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, atomic bomb becomes famous and scared between the war instruments and technology. It creates unthinkable disastrous in the history of world war. According to Ramsboothaam, Woodhouse and Miall (2007), in the First World War over 80 percent of battlefields deaths were combatants. By the 1990s over 90 percent of war related deaths were civilians, killed in their own homes and communities, which have become the battlefields of many contemporary wars.

These have transformed the paradigm of war per se. The period from 1945 to the end of the Cold War, the ‘First Nuclear War’, defined as a relation between the two superpowers. We are now in a ‘Second Nuclear Age’ in which an increasing number of actor posses nuclear weapons (David Jordan 2008). A clear cut and decisive conventional military victory was no longer possible in a situation of nuclear symmetry and in the era of ‘Weapons on Mass Destruction (WMD). The superpowers have made great efforts to limit the level of war. Western strategist had introduced the concept of deterrence during the Cold War, which has restricted the conflict in the key areas and confined them largely to the peripheral theatres of the globe.

Therefore, in 1950, when Korean War broke out, President Truman as the only atomic user limiting the war objectives and means in order to avoid nuclear confrontation with the Soviet Union. The Korean War began the change in the American concept of war away from total war, or called a “general war”. At the time in which to a form of war that was more ‘civilized’ and ‘less dangerous’ in the minds of social scientist; limited war (Snoodgras 2006). Then, the United States has actively promoting for not using nuclear in war and suggesting the non-nuclear treaty. Now, the United States was trying to become the police of the world and control of the nuclear capabilities.

CHARACTERISTIC OF LIMITED WAR

Different perspectives will give different definitions on limited war. It is important to know the characteristic of limited war because by knowing the characteristics, we will be able to recognize it, if we saw one. Among acceptable criteria are limited objectives, limited area and limited means.

Limited Objectives. Limited war was fought to achieve limited objectives. Normally will end by formal or tactic negotiation and agreement between the worrying parties. Korea War, Gulf War and Vietnam War were three major limited wars were kept restricted in limited objectives. According to Baylis (2007) war fight for unlimited objectives; to overthrown the current government and to ask for unconditional surrender. The significant example is the objectives of the first Gulf War in 1991 and the second Gulf War in 2003. The aim of the first Gulf War is to restore Kuwait’s government, to ensure the safety of the United States citizens in Kuwait and to ensure the security and stability of the gulf region. In second Gulf War in 2003, the United States and its allies had fought the war to overthrown Saddam Hussein’s government and established with government that is rational. Therefore, the second Gulf War is not a limited war in term of limited objectives.

Limited Areas/Targets. With the latest technology, during the process of developing the weapons, there are few considerations such as the size of the impacted area and the power of destruction either on material or on personnel. Therefore, limited war only occurs in specific area or targets. The initiators will engage enemy only within certain defined territory. As per Vietnam War, it only involved Vietnam land as a battlefield. It also intends to destroy a certain type of military infrastructure or installation.

Limited Means. In limited war, either initiators or adversaries both can use any type of weapons that they have, except nuclear. Both do not intend to use certain weapons or using means that involved far less than the total military resources. The significant example is the second Kargil War in May 1999, which fought against a nuclear backdrop. It was a test case for limited war under nuclear umbrella because of the nuclear test by Pakistan was done a year before. The nuclear test by Pakistan made the idea for Kargil war different. Immediately after the Kargil war started, the Indian Institute of Strategic Studies held a very significant seminar. During the seminar, the issues of limited war against a possible nuclear background was discussed (Bakshi 2009). The discussion is purposely an opening for media to circulate and significantly passed the message to Pakistan that Indian does not have an intention to use nuclear weapons in their war. This related to share the rules that make the war limited. Both sides, India and Pakistan do not intend to go for nuclear.

ISSUES OF LIMITED WAR

Limited Objectives. One of the issues concerning limited war was the question of limited objectives. Then, it come the problems of how to fought and ended wars with limited objectives? (Baylis 2007). The evolution of most weapons was developed based on the unlimited capabilities and capacity. It is quite difficult to find some way to fight without using maximum military power which at our control. It becomes more complicated if the limited war involved with major powers such as the United States and the Russians unless they have agreed on the concept of war limitation. According to Osgood (1979), the understanding on limited war was having limited political objectives. Osgood has argued that local war could stay limited if both adversaries had well defined political objectives. However, it will difficult if the war involved between two major powers, such as cold war between the Soviet Union and the United States and war cannot be limited in its objectives.

Limited Means. The problems are should war be fought for unlimited objectives or limited objectives with unlimited resources or means? Do states go to war by employing limited resources even they do have the capabilities? The objectives are to win the war and the military will apply any means to achieve the objectives. It is quite difficult to put a ... 

 [To continue reading, please choose your order.

Purchasing Format

1. All prices are in Malaysia Ringgit, and do not include shipping and handling. Please choose your purchasing method.

   a. Softcopy (send to your email)= RM 150.00
   b. Hardcopy with soft cover send to your address)= RM 170.00
   [RM 160.00 + RM 10.00 (shipping)]
   c. Hardcopy with hardcover send to your address)= RM 200.00
   [RM 170.00 + RM 30.00 (shipping)]

2. Please pay to Account Number: 1402-0184306528 (CIMB - Mohd Radzi bin Abd Hamid).

3. After completed the payment, please describe your order by written down the;

   a.    Title of the article:
   b.    Purchasing Method (A or B or C):
   c.    E-mail or address:
   d.    Date of payment:
   e.    Payment reference number:

and email to email: radzi_hamid@yahoo.com

Note:

a.    Copyright in each Articles, Dissertation and Theses is retained by the author. All right reserved.
b.    Please note that because I custom print copies when receiving orders, articles, dissertation and theses can only be returned in the unlikely event of a production defect.
c.    The order will sent to the address or email after received the payment.