Insurgency and Counterinsurgency
Counterinsurgency Warfare: Theory and Practice written David Gaulula, a French lieutenant colonel who gained his experience in Algeria. The book was first published in 1964, forgotten then republished in 2006. He didn't live long enough to see the our military ignore most of his prescriptions in Vietnam.
I came across a reference to it in a book about General Zinni. In this day and age of insurgency I wanted to know how it gets started, how to recognize it, how to prevent it, and how to get rid of it---how to counter insurgents.
This packed 99-page book discusses revolutionary war (its nature and characteristics); prerequisites for a successful insurgency; insurgency doctrine; counterinsurgency in cold and hot revolutionary wars; from strategy to tactics; and eight steps of specific operations to successfully counter insurgents (not an easy task).
The Operations section is an excellent explanation (remember, written in 1964) of the Surge in Iraq. I wish the powers-that-be had discovered this information much sooner. However, the Operations chapter makes following the current progress in Iraq---military, political, economic, and populace most interesting and elucidating. I wish it were required reading for Congress. It clearly explains the criteria for success and defines the timeline for pulling out.
. . .counterinsurgency forces can protect and hence gain support of the populace, acquire information on the identity and location of insurgents, and thereby defeat the insurgency. While the primary challenge of conventional warfare is massing firiepower at the appropriate place and time to destroy the enemy, the key to success in counterinsurgency is massing intelligence derived from the local population to identify the enemy; the counterinsurgent is literally dying for that information.
. . . Technology is no substitute for boots on the ground among the population, and numbers matter.
. . . Protecting or rebuilding a state is much harder than toppling its government, demanding a far greater investment of time, treasure, and intellect.
I was also particularly interested in how to prevent insurgents----don't isolate groups of people. Integrate them via language, culture, and economic opportunity.
9:23:59 AM 
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