ABSTRACT
The period since the end of the Cold War has seen a growing interest in the phenomenon of 'warlords' and 'warlordism' in international politics. This chapter examines the nature of warlordism and seeks to develop an analytical definition of it. The chapter also examines warlordism in relation to current concepts of warfare. It discusses warlordism in relation to contemporary debates on peacekeeping and humanitarian intervention in 'complex emergencies'. The negative associations of the term warlord from the 1916-27 periods in China have led some scholars to avoid using the word altogether in favour of other terms: 'militarism' or 'praetorianism'. The growing significance of the warlord in international politics compels a reassessment of theories of modern warfare. The humanitarian operation tended to contain its own internal dynamic towards greater military intervention, with the withdrawal of bulk US forces in 1993 a new UN mission was established in May 1993 in the form of the Second United Nations Operation in Somalia(UNOSOM II).
