Abstract
That the concept of conflict termination is of emerging interest to the military relates in good measure to the difficulty that Western states seem to have in translating military success into the attainment of long-term political objectives. Such is the case in Iraq. A formal end to hostilities in Iraq was announced on 1 May 2003. In fact, the military conflict in Iraq has not ended; it has simply transformed from a more traditional 'state versus state' conflict into a multi-layered struggle involving many different protagonists. This transformation has highlighted the continued problems faced by the West in promoting effective conflict termination. The purpose of this article is to define in more detail the key conflict termination challenges facing the coalition in Iraq. It does this, first, by exploring the meaning of the concepts of conflict termination and conflict resolution. It then highlights two particular problems: the challenge posed by 'layered' conflicts, and the tensions between conflict termination and conflict resolution in Iraq.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 17 - 21 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | RUSI Journal |
| Volume | 149 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Publication status | Published - 2004 |