The army university press books are traditional and interactive works relevant. Aligning a counterinsurgency strategy for afghanistan. Kilcullens book will aid those with a foundation in classical counterinsurgency theory as well as a general knowledge of the u. The us has repeatedly misdiagnosed the war in afghanistan. By examining the key lessons from all insurgencies since world war ii. David petraeus and the plot to change the american way of war by kaplan, fredric m. The routledge handbook of insurgency and counterinsurgency. Nov 18, 2015 central among these is counterinsurgency warfare. Yet, the wars in afghanistan and iraq have revived a historical debate about the costs monetary, political and moral of operations designed to eliminate insurgents and build nations.
Counterinsurgency is a picture of modern warfare by someone who has had his boots on the ground in some of todays worst trouble spots including iraq and afghanistan and who has been studying the topic since 1995. Mwi nonresident fellow has gathered a broad collection of books that, together, help to conceptualize the many challenges posed by insurgencies. As suggested by its name, counterinsurgency is defined as a set of strategies and practices intended to halt insurgency. Culture, conflict, and counterinsurgency edited by. Coins failure in afghanistan the national interest. This article outlines the changes subsequently made to u. My personal position on counterinsurgency in general, and on iraq and afghanistan in particular, could therefore be summarized as never again, but. In 1898 van heutsz was proclaimed governor of aceh, and with his lieutenant, later dutch prime minister hendrikus colijn, would finally conquer most of aceh. Counterinsurgency in afghanistan stanley mcchrystal. Norton, 2009 and counterinsurgency in afghanistan rand, 2008, is one of the most prolific writers on recent us counterinsurgency efforts. Essentials counterinsurgency strategy nato libguides. However, to secure it we must better understand the cultural foundations of the continuing conflicts that rage across afghanistan and neighboring pakistan, and shift our strategy from an attritional engagement to a smarter war plan that embraces. Theory and practice, praeger security international, westport, ct introduction its hardly surprising that counterinsurgency warfare is often near the top of the reading list for. It depicts the approach, begun in october 2003, to create a successful counterinsurgency coin campaign in the other war that resulted in over two years of relative stability and progress.
Doing strategy better would leverage the american army out of its selfinflicted box of counterinsurgency tactics and methodologies into a more open assessment of alternatives to current military. Afghanistan, iraq and counterinsurgency in this special anniversary episode, a decade at war. As a military strategy, counterinsurgency gained prominence in iraq during 2006, when general david petraeus and a group of. As is outlined in the book, counterinsurgency requires an utterly different way of thinking and training. Strategies and realities of counterinsurgency and statebuilding. The goal of the counterinsurgency strategy is to defeat taliban and affiliated insurgents by helping to bolster the afghan government and its security forces, winning the hearts and minds of afghans, reintegrating and reconciling former insurgents into society and helping to kickstart a functioning national economy.
On the subject of afghanistan, an mwi colleague confessed, we barely. Unlike conventional wars between nationstateswith both sides wearing uniforms and using heavy weapons, such as tanks, artillery, fixedwing aircraft, and shipsfighting nonuniformed guerrillas in an insurgency that blend back into the civilian population is often a much different and more difficult task. Filled with downtoearth, commonsense insights, this book is indispensable for all those who are interested in making sense of. The army university press books are traditional and interactive works relevant to the current interests and concerns of the us army. On tuesday, biden issued a statement seeming to back away from a fullfledged counterinsurgency strategy. Counterinsurgency has staked its claim in the new century as the new american way of war. But looking at the current situations in iraq, syria or afghanistan, it seems that either nobody has read any of these writings, or the given advice is wrong or not applicable. Galula knows what he is talking about, having served in china 194548, greece 194950 and algeria 195658, and he has an unusual bent for exhaustive analysis. Nov 04, 20 counterinsurgency was never about afghanistan. As such, it is primarily a political struggle, in which both sides use armed force to create space for their political, economic and. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read aspiration and ambivalence. John nagl was one of the most respected voices for reforming the us armys approach to counterinsurgency.
The village, a classic about counterinsurgency, has been on the marine corps commandants reading list for forty years. The problem is that you cannot prove yourself against someone who is much weaker than yourself. Editors note renewed american efforts to win the war in afghanistan against a resurgent taliban, as well as the ongoing war in iraq, have kept the question of counterinsurgency strategy at the forefront of u. Counterinsurgency lessons from malaya and vietnam paperback by. Counterinsurgency strategy not working in afghanistan. Oct 08, 2011 counterinsurgency is no longer the buzz word it was in 2009, when president obama was deliberating strategy for the war in afghanistan. Many books and manuals have been written about counterinsurgency strategies. Indeed, his vision of modern warfare powerfully influenced the united states decision to rethink its military strategy. David kilcullen is one of the worlds most influential experts on counterinsurgency and modern warfare, a groundbreaking theorist whose ideas are revolutionizing military thinking throughout the west washington post. Us involvement in iraq and afghanistan has highlighted this form of conflict in the modern world.
Jan 11, 2011 this is a pivot point in our policy, an unnamed senior official confided to reporters aboard bidens plane en route to afghanistan monday. Armies, sometimes reluctantly, have had to adopt new doctrines and tactics to deal with the problems of insurgency and diverse counterinsurgency strategies have been developed. Never mind that many of the social scientists had never studied afghanistan or been in the country before. Strategies and realities of counterinsurgency and statebuilding in afghanistan ebook written by vanda felbabbrown. This monograph recommends that pakistan adopt a populationcentric counterinsurgency strategy by abandoning militant groups as tools of foreign and domestic policy while advocating the united states adjust its carrots and sticks to influence pakistans behavior as a responsible ally. His most recent book is the theory and practice of associative power. Counterinsurgency in afghanistan and pakistan, 20012011 by cassidy, robert m.
There are many organizational strategy and insights from both the insurgency and counterinsurgency perspective that can be applied outside the theatre of war. Counterinsurgency and american strategy, past and future steven metz tuesday, jan. Our substitute for a successful counterinsurgency strategy is still largely an endless process of playing whack a mole. The concept dovetailed with the revival of counterinsurgency strategy, which had moldered in the.
This essay further forwards that attempts to compare malaya with other counterinsurgency campaigns such as the vietnam war or afghanistan war are limited in value, and risk dangerous oversimplifications. The implementation of modernday coin did not begin in afghanistan. This is not a book about policy, strategy, or national politics in afghanistan, nor is it a book about counterinsurgency theory. The other aspect is that is does require gaining the hearts and minds of the local people. Counterinsurgency is not a strategy but rather a range of possible ways in the ends, ways, and means formulation of strategy. Insurgencies, guerrilla warfarewhatever we chose to call this type of violence, it is, by far the deadliest threat to those who serve in uniform. Aug 28, 20 never mind that many of the social scientists had never studied afghanistan or been in the country before. How to win a counterinsurgency campaign effective integration of assessments and information into the planning of military operations by michael j. This book examines counterinsurgency operations in afghanistan fol.
Counterinsurgency in modern warfare book, 2008 worldcat. Government counterinsurgency guide january 2009 executive summary insurgency is the organized use of subversion and violence to seize, nullify or challenge political control of a region. This is not the best book for those new to the study of counterinsurgency. Understanding and influencing public support for insurgency and terrorism isbn. Here is a picture of modern warfare by someone who has had his boots on the ground in some of todays worst trouble spots including iraq and afghanistan and who has been studying counterinsurgency since 1985. Counterinsurgency strategy in afghanistan general stanley mcchrystal was relieved of his duties as top commander in afghanistan after making unflattering comments about the obama administration in. Counterinsurgency was never about afghanistan foreign policy. But the road to victory was a rocky one, with early strategy proving erroneous and to the detriment of the campaign. Popular counter insurgency books showing 150 of 225 learning to eat soup with a knife. Short, sweet, and packed with invaluable information, including twentyeight fundamentals by david kilcullen. In counterinsurgency, kilcullen brings together his most salient writings on this key topic. The dutch formulated a new strategy of counterinsurgency warfare, during the aceh war by deploying lightarmed marechaussee units and using scorched earth tactics. Counterinsurgency, comprehensive approach, and political order by ehrhart, hansgeorg, ed. Assessing the british counterinsurgency effort in malaya.
Counterinsurgency and american strategy, past and future. Seth jones, a political scientist at rand and the author of in the graveyard of empires. The wars in iraq and afghanistan, among other things, were stark reminders of how little americans. Counterinsurgency warfare share book recommendations. Grit, strategy, and the way out of afghanistan by west, bing call number.
The more the counterinsurgent forces are able to exert control over an area, the. This study explores the nature of the insurgency in afghanistan, the key challenges and successes of the u. Matt zeller, watches without time no grand strategy. As the title of bing wests new book suggests, the wrong war. Human terrain teams and us military strategy in iraq and afghanistan 97817404800. He retired from active service to continue his agitation as a civilian, and among other things posted this list of best books and a video on amazon. President obamas political objectives for afghanistan are limited and feasible, says military historian gian gentile, but the militarys counterinsurgency strategy. Counterinsurgency in vietnam, afghanistan, and iraq. Questioning the counterinsurgency doctrine in afghanistan jstor. This thesis contends the debate on whether to embrace a populationcentric or enemycentric counterinsurgency strategy in afghanistan detracts focus from building a balanced approach, customized for the human and political landscape in each area of operation ao. Jun 23, 2010 counterinsurgency strategy in afghanistan general stanley mcchrystal was relieved of his duties as top commander in afghanistan after making unflattering comments about the obama administration in. American strategy effectively targeted both the insurgents strategic.
A winning strategy for afghanistan small wars journal. These three books look at the different sides of the coin. Essentials counterinsurgency strategy nato libguides at. This book is, perhaps, the most definitive manual for an initiate in the subject of counterinsurgency. This is not something that large, peacetime armies are good at.
The best books on understanding the war in afghanistan five. David kilcullen was formerly the senior counterinsurgency advisor to general david petraeus in iraq and later an advisor to general stanley mcchrystal in. Last week i was in kandahar in southern afghanistan, following general stanley mcchrystal, the wiry american commander of coalition forces, as he puts his strategy for counterinsurgency in. Furthermore, populationcentric counterinsurgency, as documented in field manual 324, counterinsurgency, is only one possible approach to counterinsurgency. Their analyses of us counterinsurgency strategy in afghanistan, coupled with the us counterinsurgency field manual, helps scholars understand what went wrong and what future prospects for success exist in the region. Opinion counterinsurgency, by the book the new york times. The goal of the counterinsurgency strategy is to defeat taliban and affiliated insurgents by helping to bolster the afghan government and its security forces, winning the hearts and minds of afghans, reintegrating and reconciling former insurgents into society and helping to. Evolution and debate by janine davidson the brookings institution brookings counterinsurgency and pakistan paper series. Irregular warfare is the oldest form of warfareit long predates the rise of conventional armies in. In afghanistan, its entirely possible that we wage the finest counterinsurgency operations ever devised by man, that we wage incredibly moral and ethically responsibility campaigns, that we wage. Drawn from the observations of a french officer, david galula, who witnessed guerrilla warfare on three continents, the book remains relevant today as american policymakers, military analysts, and members of the public look to the counterinsurgency era of the 1960s for lessons to apply to the current situation in iraq and afghanistan. Clearly, without a significant change in course, afghanistan was at risk. Irregular warfare is the oldest form of warfareit long predates the rise of conventional armies in ancient mesopotamia around 3000 bc.
Analysis afghanistan and the counterinsurgency war obama. Culture, conflict, and counterinsurgency edited by thomas h. Three new books on counterinsurgency foreign affairs. Oct 21, 2009 the drugviolence nexus in afghanistan and elsewhere in the world is the domain of my work, the subject of my forthcoming book, shooting up. Here is a picture of modern warfare by someone who has had his boots on the ground in some of todays worst trouble spotsincluding iraq and afghanistanand who has been studying counterinsurgency since 1985. This libguide offers a set of highquality sources of information to assist you with your research on issues related to counterinsurgency strategy, in particular in the context of natos role in afghanistan. Us marine corps, smallunit leaders guide to counterinsurgency coin at the tactical level. The concept dovetailed with the revival of counterinsurgency strategy, which had moldered. The routledge handbook of insurgency and counterinsurgency will be of great interest to all students of insurgency and small wars, terrorismcounterterrorism, strategic studies, security studies and ir in general, as well as professional military colleges and policymakers. The authors of culture, conflict and counterinsurgency contend that an enduring victory can still be achieved in afghanistan. This page is over the subject of counterinsurgency and stability and its related issues. The united states intelligence agencies and military commands cant agree on whether to be cautiously optimistic or cautiously pessimistic on prospects for afghanistan.
But to be of practical use to american troops in fierce battles in iraq, afghanistan and beyond, the final draft of the handbook must be more than a counterinsurgency 101 exercise. Insurgency, counterinsurgency and guerrilla warfare 64 books. Mar 18, 2016 how to win a counterinsurgency campaign effective integration of assessments and information into the planning of military operations by michael j. Drawing both on the authors experiences as a combat battalion commander in the iraq war and his research into the application of counterinsurgency in a variety of historical contexts, wrong turn is a brilliant summation of gentiles views of the failures of coin, as well as a searing reevaluation of the current state of affairs in afghanistan. However, to secure it we must better understand the cultural foundations of the continuing conflicts that rage across afghanistan and neighboring pakistan, and shift our strategy from an attritional engagement to a smarter war plan that embraces these cultural. It is not our intention to govern or nationbuild, he said. Grit, strategy, and the way out of afghanistan argues that the u.
Csi press publications on afghanistan army university press. In counterinsurgency, kilcullen brings together his most salient writings on this vitally important topic. Jan 29, 2020 this libguide offers a set of highquality sources of information to assist you with your research on issues related to counterinsurgency strategy, in particular in the context of natos role in afghanistan. Theory and practice by david galula summary written by brett reeder, conflict research consortium citation. Understanding counterinsurgency efforts in tribalized rural and muslim. However, to secure it we must better understand the cultural foundations of the continuing conflicts that rage across afghanistan and neighboring pakistan, and shift our strategy from an attritional engagement to a smarter war plan that embraces these cultural dimensions. A senior counterinsurgency advisor to general david petraeus in iraq, his vision of war powerfully influenced americas decision to rethink its military strategy in iraq and implement the surge, now recognized as a dramatic success. Csi press publications on counterinsurgency and stability. This work contributes to rands numerous counterinsurgency monographs by adding a volume on the troubled afghanistanpakistan border region. Here is a picture of modern warfare by someone who has had his boots on the ground in some of todays worst trouble spotsincluding iraq and afghanistan and who has been studying counterinsurgency since 1985. Insurgency, in turn, generally refers to a broad set of strategies and practices such as guerrilla warfare, terrorism, or nonviolent resistance intended to destroy or replace an existing structure of authority. If you are strong and fighting the weak, then if you kill your opponent then you are a scoundrel. Jul 28, 2016 the problem with afghanistans counterinsurgency. Shifting approaches to strategy have not only left military actors puzzled, but also.
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