| Summary/Abstract |
States were known to employ military capabilities that were conventional
in nature. The enormous destructive power of conventional capabilities
and nuclear arsenals has made conventional wars cost-prohibitive and
thus the application of non-state actors and irregular forces against states
is becoming the new normal of waging wars. The beginning was made
in Afghanistan when the Taliban and the Mujahids were employed, with
state patronage, against the Soviet Union. Post-Cold War era, a new
warfare has emerged, wherein non-state actors with state patronage, have
begun to utilise military capabilities that were traditionally attributed only
to states. Instead of relying solely on irregular tactics, they have surprised
their adversaries with conventional arsenals including air-defence systems,
missiles, rockets, and artillery.
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