The evolution of European perception of the term 'hybrid warfare'

Abstract

The emergence and use of the term 'hybrid warfare' is related to the efforts of the US military analysts to explain the changes in the physiognomy of war, as well as the practical problems of the US Armed Forces on the ground as a result of these changes. A wider debate within American (Western) military circles on the inefficiency of Western conventional power in asymmetric conflicts at the beginning of the 21th century has been caused by the combined use of conventional and irregular methods of warfare by the Taliban, Al Qaeda and Hezbollah. In this situation, the term 'hybrid warfare' has provided an explanation for the asymmetric concept of warfare on which Western military forces did not have an adequate response. The theory of 'hybrid warfare' was established in 2007, and its essence indicated the combined use of violent methods by non-state actors. Since the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis, the perception of the concept of 'hybrid warfare' has been considerably changing and expanding. In addition to violent methods, the concept has also included non-violent methods such as economic, diplomatic, political, information methods, etc. Moreover, non-state actors were no longer in the focus of the concept, and states have become the main stakeholders of hybrid activities. Thus, the term 'hybrid warfare' comes out of narrow military considerations and gets wider political and media attention. In this paper, the authors have tried to identify and explain the reasons that led to the change of the perception of the term 'hybrid war' after the Ukrainian crisis, despite the evolution of the meaning of the term, from the non-state to the state-centric concept of warfare. In order to achieve this goal, the authors have set the European perception of Russian involvement in the Ukrainian crisis in the focus of their consideration.