Counterinsurgency

by Kilcullen, David

• ISBN13: 9780199737499
• ISBN10: 0199737495
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-05-19
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The American military's failure to plan for an insurgency following their quick victory over the Iraqi army was a major strategic error. For over three years after the rout of Iraq's regular forces, American troops had to fight a tenacious insurgency despite the fact that their tactical approach was ill suited for such warfare. Beginning in 2005, a group of military intellectuals began to develop a new approach to counterinsurgency, one that was population centered. Launched in 2007 by General Petraeus, it proved remarkably successful, and the situation in Iraq has improved significantly.

Aspects of the approach are now being applied in Afghanistan, and will undoubtedly guide American military practice for the foreseeable future. One of the key intellectual figures behind the transformation of American military strategy was the Australian theorist David Kilcullen, whose articles and papers quickly achieved legendary status among military strategists. In Counterinsurgency, Kilcullen will gather together his seminal articles in one concise volume, and it may feature a preface from General David Petraeus. The book will act as a 'rough guide' to counterinsurgency for practitioners, and serve as tight theoretical volume for students and academics of current military strategy.

It will feature four updated and annotated versions of his key essays

Twenty Eight Articles Fundamentals of Counterinsurgency Warfare Multi National Force Iraq Counterinsurgency Guidance the document that laid out the counterinsurgency techniques associated with the Surge in Iraq Afghanistan Fundamentals of Best Practice Counterinsurgency, and Measuring Progress in Counterinsurgency.

"Should be required reading foranyone involved in the war on terror. Kilcullen's central concept of the 'accidental guerrilla' is brilliant and the policy prescriptions that flow from it important." -Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek

"Kilcullen's ideas are likely to shape U.S. policy in Iraq and Afghanistan for the immediate future." -Laura Miller, Salon.com

"The Accidental Guerrilla is a master class in counterinsurgency from a man who, as much as anyone, is responsible for recent successes in Iraq." -The Boston Globe

"Kilcullen's influence on how the U.S. military thought about counterinsurgency campaigning cannot be overstated." -Tom Ricks, author of The Gamble and Fiasco

"There are some standard texts on counterinsurgency. The Accidental Guerrilla is sure to become one." -The Wall Street Journal

Author Biography

Adjunct Professor of Security Studies, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and Fellow, Center for a New American Security

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Introduction: Understanding Insurgency and Counterinsurgency	p. 1
A Ground-Level Perspective
Introduction to the Expanded and Annotated "Twenty-eight Articles"	p. 17
Twenty-eight Articles: Fundamentals of Company-level Counterinsurgency	p. 29
Measuring Progress in Afghanistan	p. 51
Introduction to "Globalization and the Development of Indonesian Counterinsurgency Tactics"	p. 77
Globalization and the Development of Indonesian Counterinsurgency Tactics	p. 85
Introduction to "Reflections on the Engagement at Motaain Bridge"	p. 106
Reflections on the Engagement at Motaain Bridge, 10 October 1999	p. 109
Deiokes and the Taliban: Local Governance, Bottom-up State Formation, and the Rule of Law in Counterinsurgency	p. 147
A Global Perspective
Countering Global Insurgency	p. 165
Notes	p. 229
Index	p. 239
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