Policy Press

War, Technology and the State

By Warren Chin

Published

Jan 21, 2025

Page count

188 pages

ISBN

978-1529213416

Dimensions

234 x 156 mm

Imprint

Bristol University Press

Published

Jul 31, 2023

Page count

188 pages

ISBN

978-1529213409

Dimensions

234 x 156 mm

Imprint

Bristol University Press

Published

Jul 31, 2023

Page count

188 pages

ISBN

978-1529213423

Dimensions

234 x 156 mm

Imprint

Bristol University Press

Published

Jul 31, 2023

Page count

188 pages

ISBN

978-1529213423

Dimensions

234 x 156 mm

Imprint

Bristol University Press
War, Technology and the State

This book explores the relationship between the state and war within the context of seismic technological change.

As we experience a fourth industrial revolution, technology already exerts a huge impact on the character of war and military strategies in the form of drones and other types of ‘remote’ warfare. However, technological developments are not confined to the defence sector, and the diffusion of military technology inevitably also affects the wider economy and society.

This book investigates these possible developments and speculates on their ramifications for the future. Through its analysis, the book questions what will happen to war and the state and whether we will reach a point where war leads to the unmaking of the state itself.

“At the heart of this book is a fascinating study on how advances in 4IR technologies will fundamentally alter the way in which war is fought. Chin allows the reader to peer into our disquieting future and see how technological advances will impact the making and unmaking of the nation state”. James Rogers, University of Southern Denmark

Warren Chin is Senior Lecturer in the Defence Studies Department, King’s College London, and Program Chair for Defence and Security at Rabdan Academy and Zayed Military University.

1. Introduction: Purpose and Scope

2. Technological Determinism and Debates about State Formation in Early Modern Europe

3. The Industrial Revolution and the Rise of Modern War

4. The Nuclear Revolution and the Rise of Postmodern War

5. The Western Military Vision of Future War

6. Testing Western Military Thinking about the Future of War: Russia's War in Ukraine

7. Conclusion: Assessing the Impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on the Future of War and the State