Small Wars: Definitions and Dimensions

Abstract

This article offers a prefatory sampling of definitions of small war, and it frames an approximate continuum by referring to various cases illustratively. The discussion keeps in view the dilemmas of idiosyncrasy and variance in small wars that confound the framing of a neat matrix that allows effective anticipation or projection. Various qualitative or metaphysical aspects of small wars are considered, including technological evolution, small wars raging within larger ones, discontinuities between scale and effect, and their role as catalysts and precursors. Operational aspects and anomalies are also discussed, such as discrepancies between military professionals' attitudes and expectations and small-war dynamics, disparities in visibility and perceived effect, and perceptions of such conflicts as especially savage. Conclusions are drawn regarding the analytical intractability of small wars and the rarity of effective prediction and of rational processes leading to involvement.