Publications

This essay aims to examine conflicts in the “gray zone.” The paper is divided into three sections. The first section describes the gray zone and defines the ambiguous approach that corresponds to it. It argues that measures short of war, coercive gradualism, and deliberate obscurity are the crucial ingredients of the ambiguous approach. The second part discusses the ambiguous approach as a dependent variable, identifying the lack of power and lack of legitimacy to use force as the key drivers for adopting the ambiguous approach. Finally, the third section explores how actors can disrupt their opponent’s strategic calculation by creating ambiguity around key components of the game: the players, their actions, outcomes of interactions, and information relevant to decision making.