Unrestricted Warfare
“Unrestricted Warfare” is a 1999 book by Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui, two senior colonels in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China. It advocates for a new approach to warfare, one that transcends traditional military boundaries and embraces a variety of non-military methods to achieve strategic objectives. The authors argue that in the context of a globalized, information-driven world, traditional notions of warfare are outdated and ineffective. They contend that new forms of conflict, such as financial warfare, information warfare, and psychological warfare, will be increasingly prominent. The book analyzes the impact of the Gulf War on modern warfare and criticizes the United States’ reliance on expensive, high-tech weaponry. It also proposes alternative strategies that leverage the “side-principal” rule and “supra-tier combinations” to exploit the vulnerabilities of adversaries, particularly those with superior conventional military capabilities. “Unrestricted Warfare” aims to provide a theoretical framework for China to overcome its perceived military inferiority and to secure its national interests in the 21st century.
