Asymmetrical Symmetry: How Convention Has Become Innovative Military Thought

摘要

In the last few years, notions like 'asymmetric warfare', and, more recently, 'hybrid warfare' have become as common and pervasive as to appear like new orthodoxy in military thought. Contemporary doctrine, official documents, papers, briefings strive to pay tribute or reverence to these new ideas. If no reference is made to them, the author is accused of conservatism, myopia, ignorance, or bad faith. This new picture is conceptualized in sound and persuasive theory; plenty of references are made to the masters of strategic thinking, including Sun Tzu, von Clausewitz, Jomini, Mahan, Douhet, as well as to wars, campaigns and battles of the past in order to demonstrate their relevance. This project will examine these theories through the lens of critical thinking and demonstrate that these 'new' constructs are anything but original. In particular, two historical case studies, the First Jewish-Roman War (66-73 CE) and the Philippine-American War (1899-1902 CE), will be summarily analyzed to demonstrate that asymmetry and hybridism have been common characteristics of war through the ages since the very beginning of humanity. Thinking otherwise is to invite professional atrophy and insipidness.