Curse You, Small Wars Journal!

I am nearing completion of an article for Small Wars Journal regarding "hybrid war". I thought to myself that, yes, this article looked quite original and would make for excellent discussion at SWJ.

Then, as I do a little research into Hybrid War, I see that Mr. Frank G. Hoffman from the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies has pretty much said everything I wanted to say and more--and did it far more eloquently than I could.

Fuck.

I basically wanted to make the following points:

• That "hybrid wars" are not necessarily new
• That "hybrid wars" are taking place in an environment of decreased state power and greater access to weapons technology by non-state actors, and as a counter to conventional Western-style military strength.
  
• That "hybrid wars" can be viewed as a tactical phenomenon (a merging of conventional and unconventional conflict), or as a strategic phenomenon (multiple types of conflict in the same area--such as counter-terrorism, counter-narcotics, and counter-insurgency in Afghanistan)

Mr. Hoffman made these points far more eloquently, and provided a fascinating read. This article is well worth a look.

Focus: Ever think you came up with something original, only to find out that someone already did it before, and much better than you did?