Monitoring & Analysis | Strategic Media Department – BETH

Riyadh | BETH

At a time when the world is preoccupied with images of missiles and drones, a different type of international conflict is quietly taking shape in the background.

Wars that do not begin with artillery… and are not measured by the number of tanks.

Instead, they are conducted through the economy, technology, cyberspace, and global supply chains.

As tensions rise between major powers, it becomes increasingly clear that the world is entering a new phase that can be described as hybrid wars, where politics, economics, and technology intersect within a single multi-front battle.

The Economy as a Weapon

Economic sanctions are no longer merely a diplomatic pressure tool; they have become a full-scale strategic weapon.

In recent years, Western countries have imposed thousands of sanctions on Russia following the war in Ukraine, including the freezing of financial assets worth hundreds of billions of dollars, in addition to restrictions on energy, technology, and financial transfers.

In response, Moscow has begun redirecting its trade toward Asia and the Middle East, while BRICS countries are working to expand the use of local currencies in international trade in an effort to reduce reliance on the Western financial system.

These developments indicate that the economy is no longer just an arena of competition… it has become a battlefield in its own right.

Cyber Warfare

Alongside economic confrontations, the conflict is expanding into the digital domain.

Cyberattacks now target critical infrastructure such as:

power grids

banks

airports

communication systems

satellites

International security reports indicate that recent years have witnessed thousands of cyberattacks linked to state actors, many of which have never been publicly disclosed.

In a world increasingly dependent on technology, a single cyberattack could paralyze an entire city… without a single shot being fired.

Supply Chains: The New Frontline

Major powers have realized that controlling global supply chains can be a source of power comparable to military strength.

The semiconductor industry, for example, has become a central point of rivalry between the United States and China, given its crucial role in defense and advanced technology industries.

Ports, maritime routes, and energy corridors have also become strategic elements in the global balance of power.

The closure of a strait or the disruption of a major port could shake the global economy as a whole.

BETH Analysis

What is happening today does not resemble the traditional wars the world knew in the twentieth century.

Modern conflicts are no longer confined to battlefields; they have expanded into financial markets, cyberspace, and global production networks.

While military fronts may appear more visible, the real battles may be fought in quieter places:

inside data servers, banking networks, and technology centers.

This is the era of wars without soldiers…

Wars that begin silently, yet may reshape the balance of global power for decades to come.