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Ask HN: Is this is a new kind of war?
Today I read a headline in the NY Times[1]:
> Ukraine and Russia Agree to Extend Black Sea Grain Deal.
Meanwhile Russia is raining deadly missiles on Ukraine, who are fighting back with all they've got.
I'm struggling to think of another conflict where the combatants were this cooperative with each other.
Also, the war is probably the first major conflict between large nations that is being streamed live as it is happening.
Which is to say, the war is really weird.
1. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/05/17/world/russia-ukraine-news
- ggm 3y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_World_War_glass%E2%80%93rubber_exchange# https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_World_War_glass%E2%80%93... Not exactly the same, but the history of (potential) trade during conflict isn't really that unique.
- bell-cot 3y agoNot much live streaming...but I'd bet that ~every major European war of the past millennium has had quite a bit of combat/cooperate stuff going on. While the "young soldier's view" may be that wars are won and lost in battles, the reality is that any major war is an enormous social, political, and logistical undertaking. And in the end, wars are won and lost in human minds. So all sorts of ridiculous behavior can make perfect sense for a nation at war - because it is aimed at swaying human minds, not at slaying enemy combatants.
- newprint 3y agoRussians are forced into grain deal, otherwise famine would hit Middle-East & African countries. However, I bet Russians will soon start heavy bombardment of Ukrainian granaries, since they are running out of viable civilian targets.
- pinguin3 3y agoYes, it is a new kind of war. War evolves over time and will increase in complexity. 1500-1600: Introduction of firearms Rise of naval warfare 1600-1700: Artillery advancements Professional armies 1700-1800: Linear tactics Multinational conflicts 1800-1900: Nationalism in warfare Industrialization 1900-2000: World Wars Technological advancements 2000-now Rise of asymmetric warfare Introduction of drones and AI to Cyber warfare
- wojciii 3y agoThere is no live streaming. There is a lot of propaganda content released by both sides. The Russian propaganda is clearly meant for their own population..and of no good quality. I really hope that the Ukrainians are going to win given their new capabilities and weapons.
- tacostakohashi 3y agoNot new at all, for example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Conventions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Conventions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Arms_Limitation_Talks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Arms_Limitation_Talk... A war is a complex thing, while the people at the top may want to "win", the people on the ground also just want to get on with their lives, so some pragmatism often comes into play.