Insurgents, Terrorists, and Militias: The Warriors of Contemporary Combat
328
Insurgents, Terrorists, and Militias: The Warriors of Contemporary Combat
328eBook
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Overview
Since the end of the Cold War, conventional militaries and their political leaders have confronted a new, brutal type of warfare in which non-state armed groups use asymmetrical tactics to successfully fight larger, technologically superior forces. In order to prevent future bloodshed and political chaos, it is crucial to understand how these unconventional armed groups think and to adapt to their methods of combat.
Richard H. Shultz Jr. and Andrea J. Dew investigate the history and politics of modern asymmetrical warfare. By focusing on four specific hotbeds of instability—Somalia, Chechnya, Afghanistan, and Iraq—Shultz and Dew conduct a careful analysis of tribal culture and the value of clan associations. They examine why these "traditional" or "tribal" warriors fight, how they recruit, where they find sanctuary, and what is behind their strategy. Traveling across two centuries and several continents, Shultz and Dew examine the doctrinal, tactical, and strategic advantages and consider the historical, cultural, and anthropological factors behind the motivation and success of the warriors of contemporary combat.
In their provocative argument, Shultz and Dew propose that war in the post-Cold War era cannot be waged through traditional Western methods of combat, especially when friendly states and outside organizations like al-Qaeda serve as powerful allies to the enemy. Thoroughly researched and highly readable, Insurgents, Terrorists, and Militias examines how non-state armies fight, identifies the patterns and trends of their combat, and recommends how conventional militaries can defeat these irregular yet highly effective organizations.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780231503426 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Columbia University Press |
| Publication date: | 06/27/2006 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 328 |
| File size: | 20 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
Richard H. Shultz Jr. is director of the International Security Studies Program at Tufts University's Fletcher School. He is the author of many books, including The Secret War Against Hanoi: Kennedy and Johnson's Use of Spies, Saboteurs, and Covert Warriors in North Vietnam.
Andrea J. Dew is codirector of the Center on Irregular Warfare and Armed Groups (CIWAG) and an associate professor of strategy and policy at the U.S. Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island. As the codirector of CIWAG, she is responsible for developing curriculum, case studies, and scholarly research on the threats and opportunities posed by irregular warfare and armed groups. A graduate of Southampton University, England, she earned her masters and doctorate in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Her previous research fellowships include research associate for the International Security Studies Program at the Fletcher School and a security studies fellowship at the Belfer Center on Science in International Affairs, the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
Read an Excerpt
"At the beginning of the 1990s it seemed unimaginable that tribes and clans... had any place in the new world of globalism. And yet, a short decade later many watched in disbelief as tribes moved to center stage in the U.S. war against international terrorism." -- From Insurgents, Terrorist, and Militias
Table of Contents
1. War After the Cold War
2. Assessing Enemies
3. Tribes and Clans
4. Somalia: Death, Disorder, and Destruction
5. Chechnya: Russia's Bloody Quagmire
6. Afghanistan: A Superpower Conundrum
7. Iraq: From Dictatorship to Democracy?
8. When Soldiers Fight Warriors: Lessons Learned for Policymakers, Military Planners, and Intelligence Analysts
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
What People are Saying About This
Like it or not, the wars of tomorrow will be fought by small units of fighters who will operate unconventionally. Shultz and Dew have written a first-rate primer about these warriors of contemporary combat. Most importantly, they tell all who care—including, one hopes, the decision makers in the Pentagon and White House—a great deal about how to fight in places like Afghanistan and Iraq before things go wrong. Is anyone listening?
Insurgents, Terrorists and Militias: The Warriors of Contemporary Combat is an insightful look at the kinds of adversaries the men and women of our armed forces are increasingly likely to face in the future. It should be required reading for strategists, policymakers, political leaders—and our warriors.
Insurgents, Terrorists and Militias: The Warriors of Contemporary Combat is an insightful look at the kinds of adversaries the men and women of our armed forces are increasingly likely to face in the future. It should be required reading for strategists, policymakers, political leaders--and our warriors.
Insurgents, Terrorists, and Militias authoritatively traces the evolution of conflict in the twenty-first century and incisively analyzes the formidable national security challenges confronting both established nation-states and the international system. The concluding section's discussion of lessons learned for policymakers, military planners, and intelligence analysts makes the book an especially valuable contribution to the literature.
— Bruce Hoffman, author of Inside Terrorism and senior fellow, Combating Terrorism Center, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY
This is a thought-provoking book on a highly topical issue. It advocates examining the lessons of history to wage war successfully against asymmetric enemies. I hope it may influence policy makers to consult their historians and cultural experts before they commit themselves to conflict. Relative success in Afghanistan, set against the difficulties encountered in Iraq, point to the importance of providing one's military command with accurate cultural and historical maps.
An unflinchingly thorough assessment of the unconventional warriors of modern combat, their strengths, our weaknesses in dealing with them, and how to rethink asymmetrical war planning. A first-class primer that asks all the uncomfortable questions that war-fighters, war-planners, and policymakers should ask before taking up arms against insurgents, terrorists, and militias.
This is a thought-provoking book on a highly topical issue. It advocates examining the lessons of history to wage war successfully against asymmetric enemies. I hope it may influence policy makers to consult their historians and cultural experts before they commit themselves to conflict. Relative success in Afghanistan, set against the difficulties encountered in Iraq, point to the importance of providing one's military command with accurate cultural and historical maps.
— Sir Richard Dearlove KCMG OBE, former chief of MI6
Understanding the nature of the adversary has been the Achilles heel of the West. By studying the most relevant conflicts, Shultz and Dew draw lessons to effectively manage current and the future generation of conflicts confronting the world. It is a must read for both generalists and specialists.
— Rohan Gunaratna, author of Inside Al Qaeda: Global Network of Terror
An unflinchingly thorough assessment of the unconventional warriors of modern combat, their strengths, our weaknesses in dealing with them, and how to rethink asymmetrical war planning. A first-class primer that asks all the uncomfortable questions that war-fighters, war-planners, and policymakers should ask before taking up arms against insurgents, terrorists, and militias.
— Brigadier General (Ret) Russell Howard, author of Terrorism and Counterterrorism and the former director of the Combating Terrorism Center at the U.S. Military Academy