What kind of war is this? Exploring the case for a post-post-proxy war definition

Abstract

The war in Yemen is often called a proxy war by the media, but when searching for a definition of proxy warfare, it is difficult to find one overarching characterization. This thesis contributes to the historiography surrounding the New Wars debate using the theoretical framework of proxy warfare. The main problem surrounding proxy warfare is that definitions that were given not more than 15 years ago, that have taken the older definitions of proxy wars into account, do not seem to match reality anymore. Combining this with the rise of the weapons industry and private military companies and their influence on the government and warfare, a new definition of proxy warfare is possibly needed. In this thesis, the question is answered to what extent we can still speak of proxy warfare in contemporary conflict taking into account the rise of influence of private military companies and the weapons industry. To answer this question, the war in Yemen will be used as a case study to investigate the role that the weapons industry and private military companies have on proxy wars.