War is an only child

Abstract

This article, in general, contrasts with the current thinking that modern warfare has acquired a new nature, distinct from those traditionally known. This current of thought presents new theories to explain the current war. They deny the current validity of Clausewitz's thinking.
But specifically, the article focuses on fourth-generation war theory. The theory defends the idea that the modern war has evolved in generations, being the last one the present insurrectionary conflicts.
The text holds that war is one, unchanging in its fundamental nature. Initially, we summarize Clausewitz's ideas about the nature of war. The following are the main aspects of fourth generation war theory in its various versions. From there, the article criticizes the theory, first focusing on the first three generations, shedding light on the mistaken historical basis of the theory. Finally, the fourth generation is analyzed, whose ideas are the most harmful to the development of Brazilian military thinking, if they are accepted without the necessary critical evaluation. The article seeks to demonstrate the merely opinionated character and lacking adequate foundation of what its authors intend to transform into a fourth-generation doctrine of war.