Hybrid Threats: Concept and Recognition Guide

Hybrid threats embody a mixture of violent, coercive and non-violent means in order to enable state and non-state actors to achieve their ends. The concept of hybrid threats has in recent years become an integral part of the security and national security policies adopted by the European Union (EU), North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and indeed most Western countries. The concept also frequently appears in headline news. Yet, military intelligence services and security services seem unable to agree on how to define the phenomenon, or on how to take efficient countermeasures against them. In this important work, the author examines the rise of hybrid threats in the post-Cold War environment and provides extensive examples of the nature of the threat and case studies of how hybrid threats have been employed by state and non-state actors. AUTHOR: Professor Michael Fredholm von Essen is an historian and former military analyst who has published extensively on the history, defence strategies, security policies, and energy sector developments of Eurasia. He currently is the Head of Research and Development at IRI, an independent research institute. Educated at Uppsala, Stockholm, and Lund Universities, Michael Fredholm von Essen has lectured, including during conferences and as visiting professor, at numerous institutions and universities around the world. He is the author of a large number of books, articles, and academic papers, including Muscovy's Soldiers: The Emergence of the Russian Army, 1462-1689 (Helion, 2018); Charles XI's War: The Scanian War between Sweden and Denmark, 1675-1679 (Helion, 2018); Transnational Organized Crime and Jihadist Terrorism: Russian-Speaking Networks in Western Europe (Routledge, 2017); Understanding Lone Actor Terrorism: Past Experience, Future Outlook, and Response Strategies (Routledge, 2016); Afghanistan Beyond the Fog of War: Persistent Failure of a Rentier State (NIAS, 2018); Eight Banners and Green Flag: The Army of the Manchu Empire and Qing China, 1600-1850 (Pike and Shot Society, 2009); and a large number of articles on early modern warfare in the Arquebusier, the journal of the Pike and Shot Society. 4 b/w photos, 35 colour photos, 4-8 colour profiles, 1 colour map, tables