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UNDERSTANDING GRAY ZONE WARFARE FROM MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Published
  • Tahir Mahmood Azad
  • Muhammad Waqas Haider
  • Muhammad Sadiq
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<mark>Journal publication date</mark>1/03/2023
<mark>Journal</mark>World Affairs
Issue number1
Volume186
Number of pages24
Pages (from-to)81-104
Publication StatusPublished
Early online date8/12/22
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

This study examines the dynamics of gray zone warfare by analyzing its conceptualization in the literature and through its practice in several recent examples. Ever-increasing changes in the characteristics of contemporary warfare have complicated the security environment of the 21st century. Modern warfare inclines toward non-kinetic dimensions based on the principles of hybridity, soft power, and ambiguity. This changing nature of warfare has been defined and categorized in diverse ways, leading to numerous perspectives revealing more confusion than clarity. The terms “hybrid warfare,” “gray zone warfare,” “unrestricted warfare,” and “ambiguous warfare” have received unprecedented attention in recent years. A key contemporary challenge is to differentiate between war and peace because gray zone warfare occupies the space in between both these situations. Many contemporary conflicts are neither black nor white; instead, they fall in the middle of the two: the gray zone. These factors underscore the significance of evaluating and understanding the concept of gray zone warfare. The United States considers Russia, China, and Iran as revisionist states that employ gray zone warfare in various domains to challenge the United States-led world order. South Asia is also a manifested playground of gray zone warfare. The research further distinguishes between gray zone warfare and hybrid warfare and proposes strategies for countering this threat.