Fighting vs. Planning an Insurgency

[katestine]

The problem with being a polymath is that I never know, when I read a book or hear a lecture, what is novel and what is known to anyone in the field. For all my posts where I pontificate, but particularly this one, I apologize if I sound like a moron. I can only talk about what is novel to me

Comments

[sgtkane]

"a premium on persuasive communications, impartial law enforcement, incorruptibility, and respect for personal property"

I'm going to disagree. Taking an objective look at the Taliban insurgency in Iraq (and a look at them when they were in power) they fail to meet all but one of those points (persuasive communications). Their law enforcement was arbitrary and cruel, leadership at all levels took bribes, and their concept of personal property is what is yours is theirs.

I would agree that leadership and more importantly communication and credibility are the keys to a sucessful insurgency, but the other points mentioned while they can be leveraged to help make your insurgency, they are largely secondary.

[katestine]

Was the alternative worse?

[sgtkane]

In what respect?

The current regime? The Communists? The Kingdom?

All were better in law enforcement, incorruptibility, and respect for personal property, and yet on the strength of their credibility and consistency the Taliban has held its own against all of them.

[thewronghands]

The difficult part about arguing for quality of leadership as the sole important factor is that you can hang anything you like on that; it's fairly subjective. So not having the ability to get resources from the population under contest is arguably a failure of supply chain, just as arguably a failure to win hearts and minds (or they'd give them to you), or just as arguably a lack of initiative, flexibility, or sociability. Same problem, three metawrappings.

Regarding the three phases of an insurgency, I've seen that elsewhere... I'm pretty sure Mao covers that in his book on guerrilla warfare, and I think I've seen in elsewhere, too. I'd have to consult the library to make sure, which means having the boys go through the books of mine on the topic that they have. [grin]

[katestine]

Heh. After the parts of Violent Politics I read, I was tempted to read Mao's book at some point. On the other hand, discussing whether I'm more likely to run a counterinsurgency or an insurgency was a fun intellectual exercise over coffee with Julian this morning :)

After reading the first few pages of The Uncivil War, I see what you mean about the leadership question. It's so much better than A Question of Command, I'm blushing at this post now.