{"id":145488,"date":"2026-05-29T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/?p=145488"},"modified":"2026-05-28T21:29:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T01:29:08","slug":"economist-cover-smart-tech-is-making-war-a-dumber-choice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/?p=145488","title":{"rendered":"(Economist Cover) Smart tech is making war a dumber choice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bullets and bombs killed nearly three-quarters of a million people in wars between 2021 and 2024. Many more died from the indirect effects of conflict, such as hunger and disease. Combat deaths in the past four years have been the highest since the end of the cold war. And for what purpose? Not even the leaders who started recent wars can be pleased with the results. Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine has become a humiliating quagmire for Vladimir Putin. President Donald Trump\u2019s war on Iran has gone\u00a0badly awry<\/a>. These two wars of choice exemplify two new battlefield truths. Technology has made it harder for any army to advance on the ground. It has also made it easier for weaker powers, when attacked by stronger ones, to cause havoc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a valedictory essay<\/a> this week, The Economist<\/em>\u2019s defence editor reflects on how war has changed over the past decade and how it might evolve in the future. The first big shift is that soldiers are more exposed on the battlefield. Sensors and satellites can see them; small, cheap drones can kill them. Armies have to work harder than before to hide, move and survive. Ukraine\u2019s expanding front-line \u201ckill zone\u201d, where soldiers move in small groups and ground robots evacuate casualties and deliver supplies, embodies this shift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technology quickly spreads. Israeli soldiers in Lebanon now face the same kind of drones that were pioneered in Ukraine. Iranian missiles are far more accurate than the Iraqi Scuds fired during the first Gulf war. Were China to attempt to invade Taiwan, its landing forces would be met with a blizzard of drones. Air superiority is now harder to achieve and buys soldiers less protection than before, thanks to the new drone-saturated layer of airspace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some experts draw the lesson that manoeuvre\u2014attacking an enemy\u2019s soft spots through shock and rapid movement\u2014is no longer possible. But war is a Darwinian environment, driving constant adaptation, and the battlefield is never frozen for long….<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>

In future wars involving long-range drones and missiles, Western civilians will not enjoy the sanctuary they have come to take for granted. The laws and technology of armed conflict have changed https:\/\/t.co\/MaIcvygB4S<\/a><\/p>— The Economist (@TheEconomist) May 28, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>