Chapter One: Conflict Analysis and Conflict Trends

In: The military balance: the annual assessment of global military capabilities and defence economics, S. 7-15

Abstract

Armed conflict continued around the world in 2012. Many are captured on the 2013 CHart of Conflict included with this volume, and further details can be found in the IISS Armed Conflict Database. In a section new to The Military Balance this year, the IISS examines the wars in Afghanistan and Syria, analysing the course of both wars from November 2012 to November 2013. Both involve conflict between insurgents and governments, but with varying degrees of external assistance to all warring parties. A short concluding analytical essay compares the role of key military factors in both conflicts, offering some general conclusions about modern insurgency and counter-insurgency. Adapted from the source document.