This sounds like a dangerous technology that could easily be used for the wrong reasons. There's really no accurately predicting where it will be in 10-20 years. There's speculating and theorising though, and a number of those likely lead to very dark places. So yea, it'd probably fit right into this story! XD
Ultimately, weapons won't be what brings peace.
As for physical fights in a tech world just a decade or so from today... Physical altercations have been a thing amongst humans since the beginning of human existence. Structured fighting styles that have existed for thousands of years are still in practice today, and many have evolved or been adapted to suit the needs of the practitioner. Even in a world with drones and guns, martial arts remains valuable -- perhaps not as reliable or effective in some cases, but potentially more reliable and effective in others. So it stands to reason that martial arts would still be valuable to the individual human -- and not just a decade or two from now, but for thousands more years to come. Well, at least until someone creates personal shields. But even then... what do you do if the tech goes down in the middle of a fight? I'm guessing revert back to basic options; fight, flight, freeze, friend, or flop.
Anyway, here's a video they made about the fight choreography they used (if you haven't seen it already), you might find it interesting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=223&v=E7CIK5gN70A
I agree with everything you've said.
However, in the greater scheme of things what do you gain by showing another choreographed fight scene?Hollywood blockbusters and Chinese martial arts movies are going to do it so much better and audiences are sensitized to seeing that level of fight on screen. Given that you can't compete and that a fight scene is a big deal in terms of the resources it will take to rehearse, shoot and edit is it really providing the best bang for buck? I say it isn't.
There are so many more imaginative ways to subdue or incapacitate your opponents, especially in a future set tech series. Plus, the big budget movies 'stylise' the violence in a fight. Sometimes when you are staging this on a budget and on a schedule, you can't stylise it and it can look realistic. I don't think the talented people on this series need to create realistic violence. We've seen enough haven't we?
There was so much more I could write about what's going on with these weapons in the Middle East. Again I agree about the bad guys getting hold of these. Except there is evidence that the Arab forces are able to switch weapons off. Not only these secret high tech weapons but pretty much any weapon with an electronic component.
Things will move quickly in the middle east now. The Russians are out immediately, why? Because I suspect they were shown capabilities they had no counter for. Maybe even the complete electronic disabling of their weaponry. These people mean business, note how fast ISIS dissolved when faced with their future weaponry and Strategic Operators.