War, Technology and the State
By Warren Chin
Published
Jan 21, 2025Page count
188 pagesISBN
978-1529213416Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressPublished
Jul 31, 2023Page count
188 pagesISBN
978-1529213409Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressPublished
Jul 31, 2023Page count
188 pagesISBN
978-1529213423Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressPublished
Jul 31, 2023Page count
188 pagesISBN
978-1529213423Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressThis 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