359 Felipe Santos Rodríguez Strategic communication in modern conflicts : Afganistan A ‘total’ war is no longer a war between states. It not longer seeks the defeat of an army or to paralyze the decision-making body of the opponent. Its aims overshadow these objectives, which are ultimately limited. The scope beyond the State, its objective is the city itself. Be-yond the military apparatus, the objective is the whole population.9 The retired British General Rupert Smith wrote a book on the changing nature of conflict. He delved deeply into the reflection made by Glucksmann. Smith partici-pated in the 1991 Gulf War, and had been NATO’s Vice Commander of DSACEUR (Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe) during the Kosovo campaign in 1999. In 1995, he commanded the UNPROFOR (United Nations Protection Force) in Bosnia in 1995, the year of the Srebrenica massacre, although such an offense took him by surprise while enjoying his vacation. Smith speaks freely about a new type of conflict. He believes that we are moving from an “industrial type war” to another of a totally different tint. This new wave began when the atomic bombs were released on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and has extended until the end of the Cold War. The two world wars are also considered “industrial type wars”. In this new paradigm, there are contrasting priorities amongst different sectors of the population. The strategic objective is to win the hearts and minds of the people. The battle is fought to capture the will of its people, rather than to destroy enemy forces. 10 This new type of warfare is characterized by the following trends: Firstly, the goals that are fought mostly correspond to actions of individuals or societies, not so much by States. Secondly, different social groups fight against one another, a situation amplified by the media. Thanks to the press, it is fought in each home as well as on the streets as well as on the battlefield itself. Thirdly, conflicts tend to be eternal. There is no time limit; it extends in a parallel fashion to that of the resolution process. More so when it has been obtained militarily, for it has to be maintained until a final agreement is reached. The battle to preserve its strength, using the minimum cost necessary to achieve the end desired, as well as avoiding unnecessary risks. In each new occasion, new uses for armaments and previous organizational models are found, adapting them to combat circumstances. The weapons used in the industrial age (tank divisions, artillery guns powerful, aerial dogfights, nuclear weapons, weapons of mass destruction in general heavy industry weapons military) have a relative importance in the war waged by people. Those confronted are not exclusively the State. The tendency is that conflicts end up having a multinational level. They 9 GLUCKSMANN, André. “El fantasma del nihilismo”, Claves de Razón Práctica, nº 125, 2002, pp. 21-22. 10 Expressed by Rupert Smith, during the presentation of his book given to the think tank Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs (New York, 24th of January 2007.
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