The emergence of new generation hot wars in the post-Cold War era and the rise of AI-powered military technologies

The study aims to examine the structural transformation of the concept of war across different historical periods, tracing its formation from antiquity to the modern era, with a particular focus on the post–Cold War period. Within this framework, it seeks to identify the factors influencing periodization and to analyze in detail how these factors have shaped critical turning points in the history of warfare. The research further aims to comprehensively address the impact of asymmetric, hybrid, and cyber warfare—emerging within the globalized international system after the Cold War—on international relations and security. In this context, the strategic characteristics of new forms of conflict will be elaborated upon, including the influence of non-state civilian actors on the battlefield, the role of modern military equipment—particularly artificial intelligence–enabled unmanned aerial vehicles—and the ways in which AI technologies shape military strategies. Moreover, the study will explore the broader implications of these new modes of warfare for the international system. Methodologically, the research will employ qualitative approaches, including literature review, comparative analysis, and document/text analysis, in order to investigate the interconnections between new forms of warfare and the development of modern military technologies, moving beyond traditional conceptualizations of war. The originality of the study lies in its focus on the interplay between modern conflict dynamics and military technology, aiming to develop a novel perspective through a detailed examination of these dynamics. By contributing to the relatively limited body of scholarship on the structural transformation of the concept of war, the study intends to offer a systematic analysis of the historical evolution of warfare—not only from a purely military standpoint, but also through the lens of political, diplomatic, and technological developments—thereby enriching the field of war studies with a comprehensive and theoretically robust approach.