Iraq and the Challenge of Counterinsurgency

by Mockaitis, Thomas R.

• ISBN13: 9780275999476
• ISBN10: 0275999475
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-05-30
• Publisher: Praeger Security Intl

Summary

Mockaitis begins by providing a working definition of counterinsurgency that distinguishes it from conventional war while discussing the insurgents' uses of terror as a method to support their broader strategy of gaining control of a country. Insurgent movements, he notes, use terror far more selectively than do terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda, which kills indiscriminately and is more than willing to produce mass casualties. Such methods stand in stark contrast to the American approach to armed conflict, which is more ideally suited to pragmatic culture leery of involvement in protracted foreign wars and demands immediate results. Within this context, Mocktaitis examines the conflict in Iraq, from post conflict troubles with Saddam in the early 1990s, to pre-invasion planning in 2003. He then moves into a discussion of the rise of insurgent movements and the challenges they posed in the aftermath of the fighting, tracing the ongoing efforts to shape a doctrine that allows US forces to successfully deal with the growing insurgency.

Table of Contents

Preface: Old Lessons for a New War	p. ix
Abbreviations	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
The Nature of the Beast	p. 6
The American Way of War	p. 26
Iraq in Context	p. 58
From Shock and Awe to Clear and Hold	p. 78
The Lost Year	p. 95
Getting It Right	p. 124
Conclusions: Prospects, Possibilities, and Lessons To Be Learned	p. 145
Notes	p. 157
Bibliography	p. 173
Index	p. 183
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