GONE ARE THE DAYS OF TANKS ROLLING IN THE CAPITAL AND TERRITORIES BEING ANNEXED TO GAIN VICTORY. A NEW KIND OF WAR IS ON THE CARDS. HERE'S HOW.
World Wars were a gruesome affair. Death, destruction & disarmament was the recurring theme in such weapons oriented conflict. However, it seems to me that the world will move on from such direct military skirmishes. There is a reason why no major war has erupted in the past decades (keeping American interventions & the Israel debacle aside). I strongly believe nations will compete on different levels with different means & tools. Let me explain.
CYBERATTAX
The recent Solarwinds escapades are a prime example of what lies ahead. The Russian attack exposed sensitive data about a dozen American tech giants as well as US Departmet of Homeland Security & US Treasury. Every day, more & more people as well as regions are going digital. The increase makes the target more lucrative as well as susceptible for such attacks. Cyberattacks are more discreet, cost effective & harder to trace. Such attacks can give any government essential information about the enemy state without getting traced. Hence, it will emerge as a lethal weapon when conflicts arise. For example, when sparks flew in the Himalayas between the Indian & Chinese military, a group of CCP linked hackers released malware in the Mumbai powergrid. Such dangerous & civilian oriented actions can cause more harm than any surgical strike.
GAME OF PROXY WARS
Proxy Wars have become omnipresent in the violent world of the Middle East. Iran's Revolutionary Guards are constantly supporting a slew of fighters with the ultimate aim of weakening the enemy state. America mastered the art of proxy wars in the Cold War era by supporting a number of questionable regimes against Communist forces. As the middle powers of today like the UK, France, Brazil & India grow economically in size, expect these countries to use the same proxy war tactics against their archnemesis by funding hostile groups. It is obviously more cost effective and it rules out the chance of an all out war. The enemy too is in a constant flux, staving off the rebels time & time again. This can be compared to what Israel & Ukraine are facing as of today.
POLITICAL DISORDER
Another stable way of unstabilizing your opponent would be to cause political disruption. Imagine having an incompetent & unreliable leader at the top. It is no secret that Russian meddling lead to the meteoric rise of Donald Trump as POTUS in 2016. America lost ts global goodwill as a reliable ally due to his many missteps. This inevitably was a gain for the Chinese & Russian regimes who somehow filled the void in international institutions like the WHO as well as bilaterally within the third world in Asia & Africa. Such moves can certainly destabilize nations & cause a political upheaval which in the case of smaller nations like Indonesia & Poland, can set them back economically, technologically, socially & diplomatically for a decade or so. In today's reactionary world, such moves can be easily orchestrated through social media or by funding a general and sponsoring a military coup.
SPACE: THE LAST FRONTIER
Why fight for a few acres on earth when you have the whole galaxy to conquer! On a more serious note, the increasing importance of protecting space assets can lead to a new "space race 2,0" involving launching of new rocket & satellite variants. Today's telecommunications defense & several other key functions are simply non existent without satellites in space. A choreographed attack on a number of satellites can cause a communication blackout in a particular region of the world! Hence, countries across the globe are awakening to this existential threat to their security. America has taken the lead in announcing a new branch of its military called the "Space Force". It is a sign of the times to come as more & more nations enter the fray. It remains to be seen if an international treaty updated n the current scenario reaches global consensus or not.
CONCLUSION
The best way to predict the future is to create it. As China & America tussle it out to be the supremo of world affairs, it will be interesting to see how the middle powers cope up with future uncertainties. One thing is for certain: Direct wars with nuclear threats will soon be a thing of the ast.