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The Nature of War
Conflicting Paradigms and Israeli Military Effectiveness

Ron Tira
Ron Tira, a former fighter pilot in the Israel Air Force, has over twenty years of experience in Israel Air Force intelligence and special operations. He served as a section head in the IAF Intelligence Wing (“Lamdan”), and is currently a reservist in the air force’s Campaign Planning Department. A graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science, Tira is a corporate lawyer and businessman. He is the author of Forming an Israeli Policy towards Syria (2000) and The Limitations of Standoff Firepower-Based Operations: On Standoff Warfare, Maneuver, and Decision (2007).

“Tira’s book is a most valuable contribution to the burgeoning literature on asymmetrical conflicts. These have become a major strategic challenge facing economically and technologically advanced countries, which often struggle to achieve victory against far weaker rivals that eschew direct military confrontation. Tira offers a keen analysis of various forms of asymmetry, vis-à-vis both state and non-state rivals, and illuminates them with well-chosen examples from
military history. While his perspective is universal, his focus is on the Arab–Israeli conflict, whose various wars he analyzes very perceptively, down to Israel’s clash with Hezbollah in Lebanon 2006. This book offers decision-makers and students of war important lessons for the
future.” Azar Gat, Ezer Weitzman Professor of National Security, Tel Aviv University

“The Nature of War is a valuable, pioneering study of the essence of war. In this readable and engaging book, Ron Tira succeeds in analyzing the differences between different types of wars and formulating new, insightful criteria for understanding the wars of the past, and even more important – the wars of the future. Using examples from classical and modern warfare, the author expands the theoretical basis essential to academics, decision makers, and military planners.” Maj. Gen. (ret.) Giora Eiland, former head of Israel’s National Security Council

Any state at war attempts to steer the conflict to the point where it can demonstrate its relative advantage. Thus underlying each war is a struggle over its particular nature, and in a dynamic process each side attempts to shape a war paradigm that suits its own relative strengths, while the adversary attempts to impose its preferred paradigm on the conflict. Israel, for example, seemingly has an edge in military effectiveness, and has therefore always preferred short, decisive wars. Its enemies, however, have an overall advantage in stamina and ability to leverage the international system. They therefore strive to lengthen the war and bring Israel to the point of defeat through attrition of the Israeli political–civilian system.
… In The Nature of War: Conflicting Paradigms and Israeli Military Effectiveness, Ron Tira examines the different aspects that characterize a war, from the center of gravity to be attacked to the elements constituting military decision, as they are manifested in “simple” symmetrical wars; asymmetrical wars versus a state opponent; guerilla warfare; parallel warfare; and next generation warfare.
… The author first surveys types of war and the circumstances whereby the classical doctrine of war is progressively less valid, and then devises additional analytical tools necessary to understand these more complex conflicts. The study examines the relevance of classical doctrine and applies these new tools and concepts to a range of historical examples, from the Second Punic War to World War II to some of Israel’s main wars. The final case evaluated is the next generation of wars that Israel and other Western countries may find themselves fighting – wars against states that have adopted the guerilla paradigm.

Published in association with the Institute for National Security Studies, Israel

Acknowledgments Executive Summary Introduction: The Erosion of Classical Military Doctrine 1 Doctrinal Background 2 “Simple” Symmetrical Wars 3 The Complex Asymmetrical War against a Regular Opponent: The Picture becomes Multidimensional 4 Asymmetrical Wars against Non-State Opponents: Same Theater of Operations, Different Objectives 5 Parallel War: One War with Two Non-Convergent Campaigns 6 The Second Lebanon War and Operation Cast Lead: Parallel Wars against a Non-State Opponent 7 The Future War: Parallel War against a State Enemy that has Adjusted to Fighting against RMA and Adopted a Guerilla Paradigm Conclusion: “Rock-Paper-Scissors” Notes Index

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