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Abstract

The escalation of the War in Ukraine in 2022 brought with it a return to high-intensity conflict on the European continent, and has highlighted shifts in the international system, as well as developments in large-scale interstate conflict and competition. The War in Ukraine presents an opportunity for academics, policymakers, and practitioners to examine major interstate conflict in developing global multipolarity. The terms ‘hybrid warfare’, ‘gibridnaya voyna’, and ‘new type warfare’ (NTW) have been used extensively to describe the character of the War in Ukraine, with each having a slightly different outlook and interpreting the conflict differently. This dissertation will explore the meanings behind these terms, the practices and actions employed by all actors in the War in Ukraine and aims to determine which of these terms is most applicable and whether they are in need of review to better understand this conflict. Whilst hybrid warfare and gibridnaya voyna are useful terms for explaining the perspectives of western actors and Russia respectively, they do not necessarily cover all aspects of the War in Ukraine, with each having certain blind spots or areas which are not of the same importance. Nonetheless, these areas are important components of the War in Ukraine and require appropriate attention. This work aims to provide a practice-based analysis of the War in Ukraine, paying attention to all hostile practices employed by actors. New Type Warfare does align somewhat better with this conflict, with each of its components being identifiable within the conflict, however the term itself does not necessarily give a good indication of the character of the conflict itself. The term is somewhat nebulous and may be open to changing or manipulation, whilst also being somewhat sequential in its approach, not necessarily allowing for practices to be used in parallel. An alternative to these may be the term ‘hybrid competition’, which incorporates elements of hybrid warfare and gibridnaya voyna, whilst also carrying a name which indicates the character of the mode of conflict it describes. Hybrid Competition is a practice-based approach similar in outlook to the practice-based understanding of Remote Warfare presented by Stoddard and Toltica (2021). This approach will also be used as tool for understanding lessons learned and will be aimed as understanding potential future conflicts beyond the War in Ukraine, aiming to engage with them to the same degree. The practice-based hybrid competition approach will be inclusive of practices identified and emphasised by hybrid warfare and gibridnaya voyna, aiming to counter the ‘blind spots’ in these perspectives.

Course: International Relations - MA - P2929FTD

Date Deposited: 2024-01-31

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis14347.html