In War from the Ground Up, Emile Simpson, a former British Army officer who completed three combat tours of duty in southern Afghanistan, distinguishes between the use of armed force to accomplish military objectives that contribute to political solutions, and the use of armed force to directly achieve political outcomes. The latter, he argues, has become the norm. Today and in future, military and diplomatic means should not be considered separate, but as existing within the same space. Contemporary conflicts, he observes, are not only contests against enemy military organisations; they also involve efforts to stabilise states and affect the perceptions of key audiences. This is an important book because, although Western militaries may wish to fight only conventional wars with clear military solutions, it is likely that future enemies will not provide such a choice.
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