Impunity: Countering Illicit Power in War and Transition
Abstract
Much of the twentieth century was dominated by the competition between rival ideologies for structuring political life. Democratic capitalism ultimately triumphed over fascism in 1945, then over Communism in 1991. But this triumph did not presage the end of history, as some optimistically wrote. A more accurate portrayal of what lay in store was the coming anarchy. The end of the Cold War exposed the fragility underlying the Westphalian, rule-based system of sovereign states, particularly in those scores of states born during the decolonization era of the mid-twentieth century. Nearly 25 years after the demise of Communism, no fewer than 65 of the 193 United Nations member states are rated as high warning, alert, or high alert in the 2015 Fragile States Index, and only 53 are rated very sustainable through stable. In his forward to the 2015 National Military Strategy of the United States, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey tells us, Todays global security environment is the most unpredictable I have seen in 40 years of service. . . . We now face multiple, simultaneous security challenges from traditional state actors and trans regional networks of sub-state groupsall taking advantage of rapid technological change. The Military Strategy addresses the need to counter revisionist states that are challenging international norms as well as violent extremist organizations (VEOs) that are undermining transregional security, and central to our task is strengthening our global network of allies and partners. In the current post-Big Footprint era, when international and U.S. national security depend ever more on our partners throughout the world, the persistent fragility of so many statesand, indeed, of the state system itselfis troubling.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2016
- Accession Number
- AD1013660
Entities
People
- Michael Miklaucic
- Michelle Hughes
Organizations
- United States Army War College