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.
Insurgencies come in various types. Nowadays, the most practiced ones are guerilla conflict and terrorism. Most terror related wars are carried out in urban and semi urban settings. In comparison, guerilla warfare is often based in rural places and dense jungles. The key instigators of these kinds of conflicts are often not affiliated to governments. The term counterinsurgency is used to denote the act of responding to an insurgency with the aim of stopping it or controlling its effects.
These days, most conflicts are concentrated in South East Asia, Africa and the Middle East. For years, the insurgent groups that have been dominant in these regions are Al Shabaab, ISIL, Al Qaeda and rebel organizations that have the intention of toppling governments. A couple of years back, the most recognized insurgent group in Latin America was FARC. Fortunately, it ended its conflict with the government and brought some much needed peace to Colombia when it recently signed a peace deal with the authorities.
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.
Insurgencies are not only confined to the post 2000 years. At the turn of the 1960s, America got embroiled in a bloody conflict to eliminate communist insurgents out to topple the Vietnamese government. The outcome of the Vietnam War has been disputed for a long time, with many experts labeling the US as pyrrhic victors. During the years that soon followed, the US government funded a militia group with the aim of having it topple the communist Fidel Castro regime in Cuba.
The proxy war, famously labeled the Bay of Pigs invasion, failed to attain its objectives. This is because the communist Cuban government had been made aware of the impending invasion and had prepared adequately for it. Experts in military history often bill it as one of the greatest military and foreign policy embarrassments in American 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.
Many publications on counterinsurgency have been made. Some authors postulate that provided there are genuine reasons for an insurgency, it is likely to succeed. The truthfulness of this can only be known with time.
Insurgencies come in various types. Nowadays, the most practiced ones are guerilla conflict and terrorism. Most terror related wars are carried out in urban and semi urban settings. In comparison, guerilla warfare is often based in rural places and dense jungles. The key instigators of these kinds of conflicts are often not affiliated to governments. The term counterinsurgency is used to denote the act of responding to an insurgency with the aim of stopping it or controlling its effects.
These days, most conflicts are concentrated in South East Asia, Africa and the Middle East. For years, the insurgent groups that have been dominant in these regions are Al Shabaab, ISIL, Al Qaeda and rebel organizations that have the intention of toppling governments. A couple of years back, the most recognized insurgent group in Latin America was FARC. Fortunately, it ended its conflict with the government and brought some much needed peace to Colombia when it recently signed a peace deal with the authorities.
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.
Insurgencies are not only confined to the post 2000 years. At the turn of the 1960s, America got embroiled in a bloody conflict to eliminate communist insurgents out to topple the Vietnamese government. The outcome of the Vietnam War has been disputed for a long time, with many experts labeling the US as pyrrhic victors. During the years that soon followed, the US government funded a militia group with the aim of having it topple the communist Fidel Castro regime in Cuba.
The proxy war, famously labeled the Bay of Pigs invasion, failed to attain its objectives. This is because the communist Cuban government had been made aware of the impending invasion and had prepared adequately for it. Experts in military history often bill it as one of the greatest military and foreign policy embarrassments in American 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.
Many publications on counterinsurgency have been made. Some authors postulate that provided there are genuine reasons for an insurgency, it is likely to succeed. The truthfulness of this can only be known with time.
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