Why neo-colonial societies/states are relatively more vulnerable to the impact of hybrid warfare than other societies/states? The short essay answers the aforementioned key question by substantiating the central argument that there exists a sort of symbiotic co-evolutionary relationship between neo colonialism (hegemonic project) and hybrid warfare (modus-operandi). In fact, the latter was matured as a method of warfare in order to perpetuate the former. The challenge for a neo colonial society against the onslaught of hybrid warfare is not to devise the strategic mechanism to counter the novel hybrid threats, rather it is the acute realization of this historical state of collective-unrealized-co-habitation into the loop of perpetual crisis. It is to first detect the normalized structure which acted in Pakistan’s case as six decades railroad to facilitate the transportation of the infrastructure of hybrid warfare in Pakistan. Therefore, in order to avoid this closer to the double-rupture/dislocation state, neo colonial society like Pakistan must set out a structural mechanism to first, de-normalize the structure of hybrid warfare and then subsequently deploy holistic blind of kinetic and non-kinetic means to puncture its diachronic continuity.
In order to discursively evaluate the historical context of this symbiotic relationship between neo colonialism and hybrid warfare, it is important to shed some light on the Post-WWII world order and its intellectual underpinnings. However, the seminal question remains: was the structure of British colonialism left unattended in Post-WWII era? In an answer to this question, the short essay argues that Post-WWII era is marked by the primary characteristic of ontological revised nomenclature for the hegemonic projects and its corresponding warfare methods. The US provided the much needed ‘Subject/Agent’ to the ‘Structure’ of British colonialism around the globe (along with its junior partners France and Britain. This development shaped the post-WWII era world order which is marked as the neo-colonial word order. Central dilemma of this period has been; how to avoid total war without disrupting the hegemonic subject/agent-structure relationship which was essential to perpetuate the western led hegemony around the globe? These operations of hybrid warfare against neo colonial societies find their occasional exterior expression in the 20th century’s classic events of regime change. In all these events of regime change, the subject of intervention seldom claimed ownership of its act of structural sabotage. This method assures its subscriber the best of the two worlds: enjoy power without taking responsibility.
Hybrid warfare and neo colonialism have a symbiotic relationship of co-evolution wherein the former acted as a method in order to realize and perpetuate the structure of the latter. An effective response against Indian originated hybrid warfare must take into account this structural content of neo colonialism which discursively addresses
its normalized status
In such a framework of understanding, being a neo colonial society for Pakistan, the central theme to address is not how to avoid the hybrid warfare emanating from the designated source of such activity or would-be hostile entities, rather it is to puncture the historical structural continuity of the sustained, normalized apparatuses of hybrid warfare originating from the west since WWII. The process of involuntary outsourcing of this global hegemony to the regional bidders has already started. In West Asia the most suitable candidate is Israel along with its junior partners Gulf States, while in South Asian region, the most suitable and capable candidate is India. This outsourcing has already found its expression in unprecedented Indo-US synergetic efforts in multiple spheres ranging from economic to military domains. Therefore, to deny the normalized space to the US hybrid warfare against Pakistan and to address its structural content, is precisely the most effective way to counter the Indian originated irregular or hybrid warfare against Pakistan.
In this framework of accelerated developments, the contemporary dislocation in world order has some serious resemblance with Post-WWII emerging world order wherein the structure of colonialism had serious lacking in the subject of oppression, as the structure of colonialism was there (in place) but its previous collective-subject/agent Britain had insufficient degree of legitimacy and kinetic capability to carry on supporting it. Therefore, any serious effort to check the Indian hybrid warfare against Pakistan, it must take into account this normalized infrastructure which has facilitated the US led hybrid warfare against Pakistan for approximately six decades.
Such consideration should also focus on the central problem that most of the literature available on hybrid warfare is originating from the historically hegemonic spaces. Being historically complicit in the entire Western led hegemony around the globe, western intellectual representation has this structural myopic constraint to objectively evaluate the role (as being the primary source countries of neo colonialism) of their respective countries in evolution of hybrid warfare. On the contrary, their qualification of hybrid warfare as an academic term resides in the momentary-victim posture which is equivalent to ground hog realization episode wherein their respective states’ saboteur activities in peripheral states are facing increasingly tough resistance. In this context, their aggregated understating of hybrid warfare is momentary-state in which the West is the greatest victim of the hybrid warfare rather than the other way around.
Thus hybrid warfare and neo colonialism have a symbiotic relationship of co-evolution wherein the former acted as a method in order to realize and perpetuate the structure of the latter. An effective response against Indian originated hybrid warfare must take into account this structural content of neo colonialism which discursively addresses its normalized status.
The writer is a PhD Political Science candidate CAU Kiel, Germany
Published in Daily Times, January 25th 2019.