CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY DAREN BOWYER JUST WAR DOCTRINE

much wider than traditional defence issues, will result in a need ‘to collaborate not only
with forces from other countries but also with civilian, non-governmental relief
providers.’ 35 The omnipresent nature of the media adds further to this dimension. The
ability of non-state actors to influence the decision-making process in, particularly,
democratic states through media impact on public-opinion, plays a key role in the
development of ‘asymmetric’ * warfare. The so-called ‘Mogadishu-effect’ after the US
withdrawal from Somalia following the very public and brutal killing of eighteen US
soldiers in 1993 36 is a glaring example of the West’s potential vulnerability to this.
Instead of traditional war reporting we have a reporting war 37 which provokes and
promotes the use of media events such as hostage-taking and highly stage-managed
executions such as those seen in Iraq throughout 2004-2005.
The use of the media to further the ends of an unconventional enemy was also referred
to by John Reid, highlighting the difficulties faced by the armed forces of democratic
nations: ‘Our adversary will try to achieve his aims by using our very freedoms against
us. It sees the free Western media as a virtual battleground in itself – where swaying of
public opinion away from support from our campaigns can be the path to a swift
victory; a quick way of undermining our public morale and endurance.’ 38
Not only does the West’s modern adversary exploit the free media, but he can combine
this with an exploitation of a legal asymmetry: he is unconstrained by international law,
whilst Western forces are bound – indeed, some even feel shackled – by it. This
exploitation of a perceived weakness has been termed ‘lawfare’ by US Air Force Judge
Advocate Brigadier General Charles Dunlap. 39
The final issue that must be raised here is the economic dimension of contemporary
conflict. The destatization of warfare has (re-)introduced a factor hithertofore of only
marginal relevance (there have always been those who have been able to draw
economic profit on the margins of war); that is an economic motivation for its
continuance. New wars demonstrate a commercialization/privatisation that replaces
* The term ‘asymmetric warfare’ is used as it is common parlance; however, the author has great
reservations on its value. This will be discussed in the next chapter.
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