Americans and Asymmetric Conflict

by Lowther, Adam B.

• ISBN13: 9780275996352
• ISBN10: 0275996352
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-07-30
• Publisher: Praeger Security Intl

Summary

As the War in Iraq continues to rage, many in the White House, State Department, Department of Defense and outside government are left to wonder if it was possible to forsee the difficulty the United States is currently having with Sunni nationalists and islamic extremists. Recent American military experience offers significant insight into this question. With the fog of the Cold War finally lifting and clarity returning to the nature of conflict, the dominance of asymmetry in the military experience of the United States is all too evident. Lebanon (1982-1984), Somalia (1992-1994) and Afghanistan (2001-2004) offer recent and relevant insight into successes and failures of American attempts to fight adversaries utilizing asymmetric conflict to combat the United States when it intervened in these three states. The results illustrate the difficulty of engaging adversaries unwilling to wage a conventional war and the need for improved strategic and tactical doctrine. Further research is

Author Biography

Adam B. Lowther is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Arkansas Tech University.

Table of Contents

Military thought and asymmetric conflict	p. 14
Understanding asymmetry in the twenty-first century : strategy, tactics, and weapons	p. 52
Lebanon (1982-1984) : the rise of terrorism and the suicide bombing	p. 82
Somalia (1992-1994) : into the post-Cold War era	p. 102
Afghanistan (2001-2004) : Winning wars of asymmetry	p. 126
Conclusion : the lessons of war and implications for Iraq	p. 148
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