- Lethality and Destructiveness: Advanced weapons systems, including heavy artillery, firearms, and aerial warfare, have increased the lethality and destructiveness of civil wars, resulting in higher casualties and devastation.
- Protracted Conflict: Protracted nature of civil wars is intensified by the fact that access to new military technology gives rebel groups the capacity to challenge government forces more effectively, leading to longer insurgences.
- Asymmetric Warfare: The proliferation of small arms and light weapons, as well as improvised explosive devices (IEDs), allows rebel groups with asymmetric warfare tactics to compensate for their lack of conventional military power.
- Shifting Balance of Power: Introduction of new miltary technology can influence the balance of power between the government and rebel groups, changing the dynamics of the conflict and creating opportunities for either side to gain the advantage.
- Increased Civilian Casualities: The use of advanced weapons systmes often leads to indiscriminate attacks, resulting in significant civilian casualties and human rights violations
- International Involvement: Access to new military technology may also attract foreign interests, leading to proxy conflicts and intervention by external powers, further complicating civil war dynamics.
-Urban Warfare: The availability of certain military technologies, such as urban warfare weaponry and tactics, can change the dynamics of fighting in urban areas, often leading to intense and destructive battles.
- Displacement and Humanitarian Crises: The devastation caused by new miltary technology can displace large populations and create humanitarian crises, exacerbating the challenges of civil wars and making resolution even more difficult.