ABSTRACT
Since the end of the Cold War specific aspects of international politics have seemed increasingly troublesome and we have become more keenly aware than ever of the so-called ‘sub-state’ domain, including various forms of intrastate armed conflict. These may be described as ethnic or identity conflicts which tear states apart (such as Yugoslavia in the 1990s), struggles of secession (Chechnya) or struggles against authoritarian regimes (contemporary Syria). The so-called ‘new wars’ debate, originating in the 1990s, was an important arena in which to interrogate the origins of such conflicts and it has inspired over two decades of discussion about the genesis and durability of small wars and the role of Western states in intervention.
