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Fourth Generation WarFourth Generation War is a concept defined by William S. Lind, used to describe the decentralized nature of modern warfare. The simplest definition includes any war in which one of the major participants is not a state. Fourth Generation wars are characterized by a blurring of the lines between soldier and civilian, peace and conflict, battlefield and safety. While this term is similar to terrorism and asymmetric war, it is generally broader, and indeed includes both of these concepts. In some sense, gang activities are in this kind of Fourth Generation war. The name refers to the previous three generations of war, as Lind defines them, since the mid-17th century. (The term "generation" is used to refer to a dialectically qualitative shift, rather than actual generations.) The first generation began at the end of the Thirty Years War with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, by which time firearms dominated the battlefield. It was characterized by a strong military hierarchy, and a fighting style centered on organized battles of "line and column" troops. This generation was made obsolete by improved weaponry by the end of the American Civil War. The second generation began during World War I, and introduced the concept of lines, as well as massing fire on specific enemy targets, often supplemented by artillery and aircraft bombardment. This style of war was favored by the American military through and even after the Korean War. The third generation also began during World War I, and is best demonstrated by the German Blitzkrieg. In this type of war, lines disintegrate, armies are scattered and intermingled, and confusion reigns. This is similar in many ways to Fourth Generation war, but is different in that all participants are states. Note: fourth Generation warfare usually has the insurgency group or non-state side trying to implement thier own government or reastablish an old government over the one currently running the territory. External links
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