The US and Russian Battlefield Maneuvers in the 21st Century
of Islam and Muslims in the Australian Press
Tauqeer Hussain Sargana
International Islamic University Islamabad, Pakistan
Mujahid Hussain
Bahria University Islamabad, Pakistan
Abstract
This study makes the point that the 21st century is practicing non-kinetic warfare and nations vulnerable to it must overcome their weaknesses or be ready to get consumed. The world at large has witnessed a shift in the co-existence of relations among nations. Traditionally, an ally or the foe had a decisive place in the phenomenon of cooperation and competition, respectively. Realist tendencies and strategies to outcast the strengths of one’s enemy were straightforwardly applied. Military means including framing alliances were applied to squeeze the very possibility of response mechanism vested in the enemy’s defense lines. Contrary to this, those who fall in the vicinity of friendship orally, were to the best helped and taken along. This crafted the era of kineticism, where political affiliations with all its strengths and weaknesses were open and nations have clear manifestation to opt for the best side. This had been the case from First to Third Generations of warfare. Somehow, the Fourth Generation of warfare has faded away from the very distinction between an ally and foe. The discourse of ‘national interest’ in the 21st century has fed anxiety and distrust among nations. This study, therefore, is deductive in nature and has used the above analogy as a theoretical premise to decode the hypothetical assumption that there exists a context of non-kinetic warfare and both the US and Russia have entered into ‘maneuvered battlefield’. Secondary data with authors’ own reflections being a student of international politics has driven the analysis and findings.
