Throughout history, war has been part and parcel of life. From the Servile War in the BC era to modern engagements in different war theaters, the world has seen a change of conflict strategy and weaponry. War tacticians often like to classify insurgencies as being among the most difficult types of conflict to contain. This article looks at counter insurgency history, mostly from an American standpoint.
There are various types of insurgencies in the modern world. The ones that occur most are terrorism and guerilla warfare. A vast majority of wars that are related to terror take place in semi urban or urban settings. Guerilla warfare, on the other hand, is primarily based in rural places and jungles. Non state actors are the chief perpetrators of these kinds of insurgencies. Counterinsurgency is just a word used to refer to the act of crushing an insurgency or limiting its effects.
Today, most insurgent warfare is based in the Middle East, South East Asia and Africa. Groups that are active in these areas include Al Qaeda, ISIL, Al Shabaab and rebel groups out to overthrow governments. A few decades ago, the FARC guerilla group was the most predominant insurgent group in South America. However, the group signed a peace deal with the Colombian government recently, bringing to an end decades of fighting that had left the locals destitute.
Regardless of the locations where most insurgencies are based out of, the bottom line is that the US military has been active in countering most of them. A case in point is the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, which the US has been embroiled in for decades. Another example is the global war on terror.
Insurgency type conflict is not simply confined to the years that followed the new millennium. In the 1960s, America was involved in a bloody battle to eliminate communist fighters who were hell bent on toppling the capitalist Vietnamese regime. It is not generally known who won the Vietnam War, but many pundits have awarded the US a pyrrhic victory. During the same period, America was intent on toppling the regime of Fidel Castro in Cuba and funded a militia to fight the Cubans on its behalf.
The operation to do so, which is infamously known as the Bay of Pigs invasion, did not meet its objectives. Having gathered intelligence on the impending operation, the Cubans planned well to mount a strong defense. Pundits of military history like to refer to it as being among the worst foreign policy and military disasters in US history.
In general, there are three broad objectives of launching a counterinsurgency. These objectives are to achieve economic and political stability as well as security. In a sense, it is aimed at returning all the facets of life back to normal. During a period of conflict, the local economy is bound to suffer, political instability is certain and the safety of the civilian population is at risk.
There are many authors whose literary works debunk the myths that normally surround counterinsurgency. Some opine that as long as an insurgent group has genuine reasons for its actions, it is poised to succeed. Only time will ascertain the veracity of this hypothesis.
There are various types of insurgencies in the modern world. The ones that occur most are terrorism and guerilla warfare. A vast majority of wars that are related to terror take place in semi urban or urban settings. Guerilla warfare, on the other hand, is primarily based in rural places and jungles. Non state actors are the chief perpetrators of these kinds of insurgencies. Counterinsurgency is just a word used to refer to the act of crushing an insurgency or limiting its effects.
Today, most insurgent warfare is based in the Middle East, South East Asia and Africa. Groups that are active in these areas include Al Qaeda, ISIL, Al Shabaab and rebel groups out to overthrow governments. A few decades ago, the FARC guerilla group was the most predominant insurgent group in South America. However, the group signed a peace deal with the Colombian government recently, bringing to an end decades of fighting that had left the locals destitute.
Regardless of the locations where most insurgencies are based out of, the bottom line is that the US military has been active in countering most of them. A case in point is the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, which the US has been embroiled in for decades. Another example is the global war on terror.
Insurgency type conflict is not simply confined to the years that followed the new millennium. In the 1960s, America was involved in a bloody battle to eliminate communist fighters who were hell bent on toppling the capitalist Vietnamese regime. It is not generally known who won the Vietnam War, but many pundits have awarded the US a pyrrhic victory. During the same period, America was intent on toppling the regime of Fidel Castro in Cuba and funded a militia to fight the Cubans on its behalf.
The operation to do so, which is infamously known as the Bay of Pigs invasion, did not meet its objectives. Having gathered intelligence on the impending operation, the Cubans planned well to mount a strong defense. Pundits of military history like to refer to it as being among the worst foreign policy and military disasters in US history.
In general, there are three broad objectives of launching a counterinsurgency. These objectives are to achieve economic and political stability as well as security. In a sense, it is aimed at returning all the facets of life back to normal. During a period of conflict, the local economy is bound to suffer, political instability is certain and the safety of the civilian population is at risk.
There are many authors whose literary works debunk the myths that normally surround counterinsurgency. Some opine that as long as an insurgent group has genuine reasons for its actions, it is poised to succeed. Only time will ascertain the veracity of this hypothesis.
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