Rapid developments in information technology and precision weaponry have led many analysts and practitioners to herald a 'revolution in military affairs' (RMA), making possible quick and decisive victories with minimal casualties and collateral damage. This paper argues that important changes are under way which may indeed be revolutionary in their impact. However, the issues that drive conflcit will persist, and many of the technical advances associated with the RMA will not necessarily produce a transformation in the nature of warfare. The end of the Cold War has meant that another revolution - one in political affairs - has taken place. In this new political setting, major powers appear less likely to go to war with one another than they are to intervene in conflicts involving weak states, militia groups, drug cartels and terrorists. The precision-guided weapons and space-based infrastructure at the heart of the RMA may be less suited to conflicts such as these. If the cumulative effect of the changes outlined above is to produce a revolution, it is a revolution in strategic, as much as military, affairs.

Adelphi Paper 318.

Introduction--Ch. 1 A Western Way of War?--Ch. 2 The Origins of RMA--Ch. 3 Asymmetric Wars--Ch. 4 Information Warfare--Ch. 5 Americans and Allies--Conclusion.