Winning Without Fighting and Stealing a March

CSBA scholars led by Senior Fellow Ross Babbage examine the role of political warfare in the global strategic postures of Russia and China, arguing that political warfare – diverse operations to influence, persuade, and coerce nation states, organizations, and individuals without the use of kinetic force – is a deeply rooted and sophisticated element of Vladimir Putin’s and Xi Jinping’s regimes. Winning Without Fighting contains seven historical case studies, and contains a series of policy recommendations for Western policymakers. 

In Stealing a March, Babbage and colleagues focus on how the People’s Republic of China is elevating hybrid warfare – diverse operations undertaken to secure strategic interests across a wide spectrum, from supporting insurgents to paramilitary operations to cyberwarfare and operations just below the threshold of general conventional war. This approach is central to Chinese actions in the Indo-Pacific and has a long history, as outlined in six case studies. The report also include guidance for allied defense organizations to enhance deterrence in the region.