11/14/2022 0 Comments Counter insurgency![]() ![]() Such efforts were fatally undermined, however, by French unwillingness to give the noncommunist Vietnamese real independence-the prime political cause motivating all Vietnamese. Early EffortsĬounterinsurgency actually began in Vietnam during the Indochina War (1946-1954) and was known as “pacification.” The French created military-civilian teams (called équipes mobiles), which performed civil functions in conjunction with military operations aimed at establishing French control over areas dominated by the communist Viet Minh. Understanding the lessons that experience holds for today requires some history. Countering insurgencies by establishing security through military and police operations is a necessary precondition for political progress, but only indigenous governments that become responsive to their own people can ensure that security endures.Ĭounterinsurgency in Vietnam went through various phases in terms of what it meant, how it was carried out and how the United States helped or hindered. The active support of a majority of the country’s population for its government is critical. For lasting effect, counterinsurgency cannot be divorced from political reform and progress from the top down, as well as from the community level up, of the country we are helping. These precepts sound simple, but they are often overlooked because we are so focused on ourselves.Īnother lesson is that counterinsurgency works when politics and development are as much a focus as security. Likewise, our insufficient and often mistaken grasp of the insurgent enemy and the cultural and political context of the involved country and its people can greatly contribute to failure. There are lessons to be learned from our counterinsurgency efforts in Vietnam that remain relevant today.Ĭhief among them is this: although our understanding and steadfast support can make a significant difference, ultimate success depends on the people we are assisting. ![]() ![]() Explored in all its variations, the basic theme is the contradiction of an outside force promising to protect a population against its local enemies, and in the end creating a dependency.Rufus Phillips on a 1954 inspection trip to a formerly Viet Minh-controlled area in the Mekong Delta recently handed over to the South Vietnamese Army. All the authors demonstrate both special knowledge and general understanding of the issues. Each chapter casts new light on the theory and practice of counterinsurgency warfare from after World War II to Iraq and Afghanistan. "This is a book that no one interested in the way COIN seduced policymakers can afford not to read - and read again. A future research agenda is clearly cut out for us." - Isabelle Duyvesteyn, Utrecht University, The Netherlands "A timely and path-breaking series of analyses that show the shortcomings, but also the enduring features, of the counter-insurgency debate of recent years. military power in Iraq and Afghanistan.' - Col (ret) Douglas Macgregor, USA, author of Warrior's Rage, Transformation under Fire and Breaking the Phalanx It's overall conclusions point to the strategic futility of this tactical doctrine and its contribution to the failure of U.S. "This comprehensive volume carefully considers counterinsurgency doctrine in action. ![]()
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