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Friedrich Glasl's book "Konfliktmanagement. Ein Handbuch für Führungskräfte, Beraterinnen und Berater." lays out nine stages of conflict. Kurt Stillman in "On Enemy Images and Conflict Escalation" had five. War is a complex landscape of often competing conflicts and end state
But this is western City/State thinking on war and conflict. Ghandi coined a term Satyagraha, a policy of passive political resistance against Brits that created "the law of suffering" absorbing pain rather than inflicting it. A corrosion of the enemy's moral purpose and will.
Today we have a deeper version called "martyrdom" Something western nations call sacrifice as in the crusades or WWs. This has been perfected by groups to ensure the act of self immolation generates asymmetrical fear and impact against risk adverse nations. https://www.hsaj.org/articles/14749
Today suicide bombers are recruited from poor families, bought and sold. Creating the image and effect of sacrifice but cheaper than a MANPAD. In Afghanstan some Mullahs brag of how many shaheeds they own. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-pakistan-bombers/insurgents-bought-suicide-bomber-afghan-spy-agency-idUSTRE7621WG20110703
Iran's Hezbollah is the perfect incubator for Russia's hybrid warfare as seen in Syria. Add Turkey, China and transnational groups into the mix and voila: A full spectrum global toolkit to degrade U.S effectiveness on the world stage. https://www.utep.edu/liberalarts/nssi/_Files/docs/An-Analysis-of-Hezbollah-s-Use-of-Irregular-Warfare-Mulhern.pdf
"Bashar Al Assad: Master Of Chaos" shows how a conflict can appear simple in the beginning and then be flipped until we are supporting the reverse position. Learn how Assad used ISIS, a mortal enemy and brought Russia in after Timber Sycamore failed.
