Richard Fernandez, PJ Media: Hybrid Warfare is Dangerous
The death by airstrike of a large number of Russian "mercenary troops" allegedly attacking a US backed position in Syria is reminder that hybrid/proxy/low-intensity conflict is not without risk. The New York Times described the scale of the incident. "Aleksandr Ionov, a Russian businessman working in Syria offering security and other services ... estimated after conversations with associates in several private military organizations that more than 200 Russians might have been killed. ... not all those killed were Russian: Some of the paid fighters came from other countries that were once part of the Soviet Union."
That is the equivalent of a whole infantry company gone.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: The above post is by Richard Fernandez .... always worth a read. The above video is Michael Weiss from the Daily Beast giving his take on the recent US airstrike on Russian mercenaries, the situation in Syria, and what this airstrike could mean for US-Russia relations.
Update: Stephen Green from Instapundit is correct in this analysis ....
.... The two big advantages of using sub-state actors are plausible deniability and giving state actors pause before — or if — they take any action against them. On the flip side, when a state actor gives the go-ahead and dozens of your mercenaries get blown up, you can’t exactly get in a big diplomatic (or military) huff about it.
1 comment:
It's really something we need to understand better.. this continued privatization of warfare.. not even knowing if your own son is in Syria (as happened with many Russian families), shadow wars x 10....
in effect it means less accountability for the top leadership
Putin could just plausibly deny he knew abut it, doesn't have to justify the move, doesn't have to shake family's hands.. all easy sailing
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