Understanding Western Perceptions of War and Insecurity: Unravelling Hybridity

Abstract

Hybrid warfare and hybrid threats have become en vogue among scholars, politicians, and practitioners in the international security domain. Generally, the concept of hybridity refers to multidimensional activities that are coordinated, part of an integrated campaign with a strategic goal, often deceptive, and that exploit the distinction between war and peace. Meanwhile, however, this concept is considered highly problematic since it lacks a common definition and uses contested terminology. This chapter aims to introduce the reader to the concept of hybridity. To do so, it first traces the origin and development of hybridity, including the multitude of definitions. Second, it reflects on the contested nature of the concept of hybridity and outlines the ongoing debate and critiques. The authors then continue showing how hybridity found its way into the current institutional and policy landscape. They address the development of new counter-hybrid policies and strategies, organizations that emerged in the wake of the hybrid discourse and illustrate some concrete challenges that have been labelled as ‘hybrid’ across various domains. In the concluding section, the authors introduce the concept of resilience as a way to counter-hybrid threats and provide some suggestions for further research.