Toward the end of war? Peeking through the gap.

The concept of war is clearly not its old self. The recent debate indicates with considerable clarity that there no longer exists a superior position from which to authoritatively enforce a dominant and broadly accepted definition. The most profound challenges consist of the claims that the concept has had its days and should accordingly be abandoned. In addition to exploring the background of this critique, the article aims to evaluate what accounts for the openness in the first place. The effort is to probe the broader constellations underpinning war and in particular the nexus between war and the state in order to trace possible changes. The article argues that these broader constellations provide a firmer basis for arriving at conclusions about both the nature of the debate and the future of war as a fundamental political and social concept. KEYWOERDS: war, state, discursive structures, modernity, postmodernity

**********

The concept of war no longer conveys meaning the way it formerly did. It is no longer of help, the argument goes, if one is to make sense of recent events. With the breakdown of many certainties constructed in the name of war, a static concept is unlikely to be an adequate guide for future challenges. Pressure to unravel established ways of comprehending war is building. The discursive structures underpinning the concept have become less restrained, allowing it to be questioned on both ontological and epistemological grounds.

This critique is accompanied by efforts to rename and differentiate among various forms of political violence. A variety of voices have asserted that a breaking point has emerged. Their claims indicate, with considerable clarity, that the concept of war is not just routinely reproduced and naturalized, but also challenged through profound counterdiscourses. Critics find the concept unconvincing and assert that it is out of touch with the essence of contemporary conflicts. The commonplace understanding is, therefore, to be relegated to the dustbin of history to make room for other, and so far less-established, forms of meaning. War, as a concept, is understood to have become "obsolete"; it ...

If you are already a vLex customer, Access Here