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The increased complexity of modern conflicts was the reason behind the reconceptualization of military thinking in the past decade or so, the most prominent result of this transformation and adaptation, or response to this new reality being the emergence of new concepts such as compound war, asymmetric conflict, hybrid threat, hybrid war or hybrid warfare etc. But there is nothing entirely new in the manifestation of the conflicts. The thin boundary between conventional and asymmetric or hybrid character of conflict is only reflecting the need to consider the whole range of actions an actor may use for the achievement of its strategic objectives. Apart from the technological advance, emergence of new doctrines, strategies, tactics and techniques, what it is important to recognize is that the understanding of new realities and perceptions changes over the generations and historic ages.
In future conflicts, in order to accomplish their goals, actors will induce various challenges to the ability and operational capacity of the opponent's forces, materialized in a whole range of threats (combining conventional, irregular and asymmetric threats) simultaneously in time and space, targeting the will and cohesion of the adversary. Over the past conflicts, seeking asymmetry - be it doctrinal, technological or operational - in one's own advantage, was a condition and requirement for achieving success.
The character of the conflict will follow a trend of continuous evolution: technology offers new ways and means, the increasingly globalized "village" presents new threats and challenges, and international and social norms undergo a direct influence on the unfolding of conflicts.
Nevertheless, the nature of the conflict will remain unchanged, constituting a unique and unpredictable human social action with political, economic, cultural and civilization, social, technological and military determinations. It is an axiom that conflict can be a policy agent, and, once triggered, it can model politics. The new military conflicts will continue to be the violent expressions of political, economic and social conflicts. Their main characteristic is dependency, in the sense that they are increasingly conditioned by political, economic and social relations and realities.
Unlike the nature of the conflict, the framework of conflicts is constantly changing, the complex of factors that individualize it including: new political-economic and strategic situations of insecurity, new political and strategic goals, new objectives, forces...