What Exactly Is A Proxy War?
ByRobert FarleyPublished2 days ago
What counts as being at war in this day and age? The question has become exceedingly complex over the past four months as the United States, NATO, and other countries have engaged in a classic proxy war against Russia on behalf of Ukraine. The US and others have supplied Ukraine with military equipment and (in some cases) operational intelligence in support of Ukrainian forces.
A terminology has developed over the past two decades (hybrid war, gray zone operations) to describe military activity that does not involve direct, high-intensity conflict between two conventionally organized military forces. This terminology has not really defined anything new; in most cases, the term “proxy war” is more than sufficient to describe battlefield phenomena.
The American Bar Association Center for Human Rights’ Expert Working Group “defined proxy warfare to include situations in which state actors support armed third parties whether state or non-state actors—to engage in hostilities as a means to achieve the supporting state’s objectives.”
https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/06/what-exactly-is-a-proxy-war/
