The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One

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The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One

by David Kilcullen

4.06 · rating details · 193 ratings · 38 reviews

David Kilcullen is one of the world's most influential experts on counterinsurgency and modern warfare. A Senior Counterinsurgency Advisor to General David Petraeus in Iraq, his vision of war dramatically influenced America's decision to rethink its military strategy in Iraq and implement "the surge."
Now, in The Accidental Guerrilla, Kilcullen provides a remarka...more

Hardcover, 346 pages

Published March 1st 2009 by Oxford University Press, USA

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May 30, 2011

Trish rated it

Shelves: mideast, nonfiction, war, politics, religion, social-science, history, foreign-affairs, africa, classics, audio

Faced with unsuccessful military interventions in several conflicts, some of our own making, the U.S. military leadership seconded Lt. Col. David Kilcullen of the Australian Army to work with them on devising a and testing a new strategy that might allow them to withdraw from their engagements without complete failure. Kilcullen is a military officer, but also an anthropologist. This book is his attempt to explain his thinking on the worldwide Islamic insurgency and the best methods to try and c...moreFaced with unsuccessful military interventions in several conflicts, some of our own making, the U.S. military leadership seconded Lt. Col. David Kilcullen of the Australian Army to work with them on devising a and testing a new strategy that might allow them to withdraw from their engagements without complete failure. Kilcullen is a military officer, but also an anthropologist. This book is his attempt to explain his thinking on the worldwide Islamic insurgency and the best methods to try and counter it successfully. Kilcullen thought the U.S. intervention in Iraq was an extremely serious strategic error, but tried, as assistant to General Petraeus in 2007, to devise a method to stabilize the population, reduce violence, and establish governance so that U.S. troops could effectively withdraw and leave Iraq to the Iraqis.

Kilcullen thinks globalization and anti-globilization, and overwhelming U.S. military dominance are drivers to conflict in the 21st century—that citizens of countries around the world become involved in conflicts not of their making when warring groups enter their “space.” They choose the least foreign “side” and fight for their group. In this book, Kilcullen first introduces successful attempts to reduce violence and increase local participation in governance and stabilization in Afghanistan, then sheds light on the conflicts in Iraq, and then discusses East Timor, where he earned his credentials as part of the U.N. peacekeeping force in the 1999. He then discusses Thailand, Europe and Pakistan. Trying to understand an ongoing conflict is extraordinarily difficult, but Kilcullen draws on his experience, research, and natural bent to establish a framework he insists can, will, and is working in various conflict theatres around the world.

I instinctively like what Kilcullen is saying and have an affinity for his natural respect for cultures living out their lives in remote areas of the world. He and I would agree that globalization and U.S. cultural dominance is not only unappealing to much of the world, it is central to many conflicts we become involved in. He suggests that American military power is so out of proportion to every other nations’ military expenditures and capabilities that an American military presence creates its own weather: it creates resistance and backlash because it gets in the space of other groups, cultures, nationalities. He suggests there may be times when we might even eschew overt military retaliation to a direct attack when the target is difficult to eliminate without killing innocents or involving a massive military presence, which would increase local distaste, distrust, and hatred. He instead suggests relying on generous aid and assistance, developing a relationship of trust and cooperation, working through local tribal leaders, deferring to local customs and keeping a small footprint so as not to create a larger backlash than necessary.

This line of thought is already central to our military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. It has proponents, and detractors. In important ways, it is still theoretical, and needs to be discussed and tested over and over because each conflict and set of objective circumstances is so different. But it is a remarkable change of mindset for military men and women, and places value and weight on different skill sets than has traditionally been recognized in our bureaucratic corps. It almost seems as though I can actually see a generational changing of the guard with the ascendancy of Kilcullen’s theories on counterinsurgency. Perhaps we are actually evolving as a species.

I listened to the audio--twice--after trying to read this years ago. I knew then it was important, I just couldn't concentrate on the reading. The audio was so much easier for me to get the main points, I went back for the details. (less)

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Jul 29, 2011

Herb added it

This is the book I've been waiting 8 years to read. To date, this is the most clear and concise assessment of our current conflict environment told through the eyes of an anthropologist, counterinsurgency theorist and soldier.

The analysis and prescriptions are reality-based and anyone wanting to gain real insight into the wars we're fighting would profit by reading this book. When I was about halfway done with the book I complained to a friend (a Vietnam Vet who'd served in a Marine CAP platoon)...more

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Apr 07, 2011

Marks54 rated it

· review of another edition

This is an Australian who combines a career as a military officer with that of an anthropologist. He is one of the Ph.D.s in General Petraeus' brain trust that was assembled to implement the new counter-insurgency strategy put in place to save the US from defeat in the second Iraq War -- the "surge". The point of this book is to come up with a theory of insurgency that explains how new "global" terrorist groups such as al-Qaida can prosper and link up with more conventional...more

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Mar 18, 2010

FiveBooks rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fivebooks-on-war-mary-kaldor

Professor Mary Kaldor of LSE has chosen to discuss<span style="font-style: normal;"> David Kilcullen’s The Accidental Guerrilla on FiveBooks as one of the top five on her subject - War , saying that:

“… Kilcullen was really the thinking behind the “surges” in Iraq and now in Afghanistan. He thinks we face a global insurgency of Takfir terrorists, basically Al-Qaida, who are trying to attack the West. They infiltrate areas like Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indonesia, mar...more

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Feb 24, 2010

Damon rated it

It's rare to read a book that you kind of agree with all the way through, but I did with this. Kilcullen is an Australian soldier who for many years has worked for the US advising on counter insurgency. His relationship with Petraeus is referenced in the Iraq section but you get the sense that he and Kilcullen share a common thinking about how to deal with insurgency in Iraq and perhaps helped form US policy into the relative success that it is now.

Kilcullen says at the beginning tha...more

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May 25, 2009

Grey rated it

Although LtCol/Dr. Kilcullen has his detractors -- mostly those with no actual experience or cogent arguments -- this book ranks as one of the most important at this juncture in our several wars.

He starts with an overview of the "accidental guerrilla" phenomenon. Explained this way, many seemingly anomalous events start to make sense. It's just a thesis, but I think he's onto something. See, too, Steve Metz's work on the psychological vs political roots of insurgency. Readi...moreAlthough LtCol/Dr. Kilcullen has his detractors -- mostly those with no actual experience or cogent arguments -- this book ranks as one of the most important at this juncture in our several wars.

He starts with an overview of the "accidental guerrilla" phenomenon. Explained this way, many seemingly anomalous events start to make sense. It's just a thesis, but I think he's onto something. See, too, Steve Metz's work on the psychological vs political roots of insurgency. Reading Kilcullen's book, Metz's taxonomy of insurgent motivations make more sense.

Kilcullen's analysis of events in Kunar Valley a couple of years ago is fascinating and provides some interesting insights into what works. I have similar tales of successes, admittedly on relatively small scales, from returning soldiers who organized local councils and sat in endles shuras. Unfortunately, our "long stare" has wavered and it appears Kunar has once again descended into chaos. Could also be due to the number of militants being pushed out of Swat...

I didn't find his analysis of Iraq as interesting, perhaps because so much has been written about it and I am, admittedly, looking elsewhere. But his careful contrast of Iraq vs Afghanistan reminds us that every insurgency and area of operations is essentially different.

His overview of several other historical examples is interesting, but I found most interesting his quick look at militant Islam in Europe. (Islamist infiltration and subversion of Western societies is one of my current interests -- q.v., www.committeeonthepresentdanger.org.) His suggestion that young Muslims in Europe are victims of Islamists rather than the actual enemy bears further exploration.

I found his conclusions rather weak, but I think that may just be the nature of trying to wrap up a book rather than provide specific policy guidance for a specific situation.

A must-read for anyone interested in insurgency, the on-going wars, or countering the Islamist threat more generally.(less)

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Dec 05, 2011

Tan rated it

· review of another edition

Quite an insightful book which draws on field experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq to articulate the theory of the 'accidental guerilla' , and also backs up his view that the current conflict in the world is inter-related and cannot rely on military solutions alone. His proposed solutions make sense and are food for thought. He also hints at how the current conflict may develop - where extremists make use of legislative loopholes to have safe havens in developed countries. I found this a good rea...more

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Oct 25, 2011

DoctorM rated it

Shelves: international-relations, military, nationalism-race-and-ethnicity, out-in-the-colonies

A fine introduction to the basic concepts of counterinsurgency warfare by one of its leading theorists--- a former Australian Army officer with a PhD and combat experience in East Timor as well as Afghanistan and Iraq, the man who was a key player in the restructuring of the American war effort in Iraq. Kilcullen offers a non-technical introduction to COIN as well as a thoughtful tour of some of the world's insurgencies.

The bulk of the groups fighting against American and allied for...more

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May 20, 2009

Chris rated it

Shelves: military

The Accidental Guerrilla is indeed not an easy read, but is rich with the life experience and thoughtful analysis of one of the world's foremost counterinsurgency experts. Kilcullen meanders from Iraq to Afghanistan to Timor to Thailand, stuttering and stopping to share insights on counterinsurgency best (and worst) practices. He then moves on to Europe to explore how best to understand (and engage) disconnected Muslim communities. The US Army advisor does not limit himself to an assessment of c...moreThe Accidental Guerrilla is indeed not an easy read, but is rich with the life experience and thoughtful analysis of one of the world's foremost counterinsurgency experts. Kilcullen meanders from Iraq to Afghanistan to Timor to Thailand, stuttering and stopping to share insights on counterinsurgency best (and worst) practices. He then moves on to Europe to explore how best to understand (and engage) disconnected Muslim communities. The US Army advisor does not limit himself to an assessment of counterinsurgency tactics, however. Bare with Kilcullen through his many stories -- sometimes entertaining, other times academic -- and you will find that The Accidental Guerrilla presents not only counterinsurgency best practices, grand military strategy, and the underpinnings of a new military doctrine, but also a 21st foreign policy agenda. Once again, depending on your background, you may get lost in the depths at some points. If so, skip ahead to the conclusion of that section and move on -- you can always come back to it. I have read a few of this genre and this is the best of breed in my opinion.

For those unaware, Kilcullen regards the initial invasion of Iraq as incredibly foolish and strategically unwise, and continually reiterates how difficult and resource-intensive counterinsurgency is, even when done well. As such, the author is interested in civilian rather than militaristic international engagement, whenever possible. Kilcullen recognizes an unhealthy imbalance in our current capabilities; for example, the size ratio of the US armed forces to US diplomatic/aid agencies (State Dept/USAID) is 210:1, while in most Western democracies the ratio is around 9:1.

Ultimately, Kilcullen aims to reorient the foreign policy discussion. Under the past administration, hunting down terrorists was portrayed as a decisive strategy. The author points out that: "Killing or capturing terrorists is a strictly secondary activity, because it is ultimately defensive (keeping today’s terrorists at bay) rather than decisive (preventing future terrorism). Conversely, programs that address the underlying conditions that terrorists exploit (thus preventing another crop of terrorists from simply replacing those we kill or capture today) are ultimately decisive."

Within military operations, COINdinistas like Kilcullen are interested in finding the most effective way to accomplish the mission of asphyxiating the insurgency. Kilcullen builds off his field knowledge and explains where counterinsurgency in particular and military operations more generally should fit into a greater foreign policy, which is proactive, yet fully cognizant of the costs (in terms of resources and secondary effects) of armed intervention.

There are too many worthwhile nuggets to catalog (e.g., US Special Forces sought to emulate the UK's OSS, yet "the OSS was an interagency body with a sizable civilian component," which obviously was lost in translation), so I will leave you with selections from the later chapters that condense some of Kilcullen's strategic takeaways:

"Planners should select the lightest, most indirect and least intrusive form of intervention that will achieve the necessary effect. Policy-makers should work by, with, and through partnerships with local government administrators, civil society leaders, and local security forces wherever possible. Wherever possible, civilian agencies are preferable to military intervention forces, local nationals to international forces, and long-term, low-profile engagement to short-term, high-profile intervention. If this approach is not feasible due to the scale of the problem, then policy-makers should carefully weigh the risks of nonintervention against the costs and benefits of intervention.
...
In the environment I have described, there are likely to be two key mission sets (or clusters of similar types of tasks) that both military and civilian agencies will need to be able to perform if they are to remain strategically relevant. One of these is defensive, the other offensive (or, perhaps, “decisive”). They are strategic disruption and military assistance. Strategic disruption aims to keep today’s enemy groups off balance, prevent the emergence of new terrorist threats, disrupt takfiri safe havens, and defeat enemy propaganda. This is defensive, not offensive. Superficially it looks offensive, because it involves direct action against terrorist targets, strikes against safe havens and the kill/capture of extremist and insurgent leaders. But it is actually strategically defensive, because it deals only with today’s threat and does not contribute to preventing the next crop of enemies from emerging. To paraphrase the Arab proverb, an approach to the takfiri threat that solely involved strategic disruption would be akin to sweeping the sand out of our house without first closing the door. Over the long term, therefore, strategic disruption is necessary but not decisive, and will probably only amount to 10–20 percent of the military’s role in countering terrorism, and perhaps will remain primarily a special operations forces task. It is of course critical, and the military has to be proficient at it, but it is not ultimately decisive. The ultimately decisive mission set is what we might call “military assistance.” This set of tasks aims to restructure the threat environment over the long term so that we hardwire the enemy out of it, deny them a role, reduce the recruiting base, and attack the conditions that generate the threat. This is the truly decisive activity, even though, as noted, we must clearly bear in mind the limits on our ability to shape events, and recognize that we will probably never be able to do more than give them a gentle nudge in our preferred direction."

For those that would like to read a solid formal review, see this article: http://www.terraplexic.org/review/2009/5...(less)

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Jul 01, 2009

James rated it

Shelves: culture-and-politics, history, military, regional, economics, memoirs

This book should be required reading for every military leader, and for every political leader involved in decisions on military policy and economic development in other countries. The author is both a skilled researcher and a savvy soldier with experience in several parts of the world. Recruiting him as an advisor was a very smart move by General Petraeus. I am, seriously, considering buying copies for all the members of my state's Congressional delegation.
Dr. Kilcullen's themes would be...more

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Jun 01, 2011

André rated it

EXCELLENT!!!
A must-read for anybody interested in the subject.
One of the very few well written books delivering a wide range of respectful background information on the different populations, ethnic groups etc. involved while at the same time giving an as wide range of suggestions on how to deal with the locals to get satisfying results for everyone involved.
Includes many in depth reporting/detailed descriptions of missions and their results.
Comes with my highest possible rec...more

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Feb 05, 2010

Gordon rated it

Shelves: coin, iraq, islam, afghanistan

Took me a while to pick this book up as I didn't like the title. In the end, I loved the book - although very academic and you have to wade through Dave's barely disguised self praise at times. However, I have found no better analysis of the issues we face in Iraq and Afghanistan and no better or more succint recipe for success anywhere. Dave nails it! If you are headed to or very interested in Afghanistan, read Chapters 2 and 5. Should be required reading for anyone involved in our two wars. ...more

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Jun 27, 2011

Gary Tait added it

Kilcullen presents quite an academic approach to Hybrid Warfare in this wonderfully rich account of conflict in the modern age. A deep read for those who may only have a general interest in the subject but an absolute must for those who wish to test the theories of Hybrid and Insurgency/Counterinsurgency warfare against contemporary events. Superb and engaging with a fall out which presses you to read more on the subject.

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Jun 11, 2010

Jennifer rated it

Is Al Queda bankrupting our government? Can it be proved that we are actually doing good with our aid money or just fueling corruption? Does our aid and projects support our COIN doctrine or do the people now just see their government as puppets? Thank you Mr. Kilcullen for fueling my already jaded view of our "GWOT". I just bought his next book "Counterinsurgency" and can't wait to read it.

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Jan 20, 2010

Joseph rated it

A concise and well written explanation of global terrorism, and U.S. involvements in Iraq and Afghanistan in historical context. Well written and impeccably sourced. Kilcullen manages to takes a logical common sense approach which is remarkably insightful. As an added bonus I found this to be as politically neutral as a book on this topic can be.

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May 06, 2009

Evan rated it

This is a very good book, although it can be dense at times, and I'd recommend it to anyone who's interested in national security issues. Check out the NYT review here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/books/...

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Sep 13, 2010

Jess rated it

Shelves: nonfiction

Interesting, decently written. A lot of intriguing evidence. The theory is laid out pretty well in the first chapter, though the rest of the book does not stick to it too closely. Still, a worthwhile read.

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Sep 01, 2011

KALLIOPI rated it

· review of another edition

INTERESTING BUT THE AUTHOR COULD HAVE ADDED A FEW MORE TRUE STORIES TO SUPPORT HIS THEORY EFFICIENTLY. I WOULD RECOMMEND IT ONLY TO PEOPLE THAT INQUIRE ABOUT HIS SUBJECT.

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Jun 25, 2009

Tom rated it

Thought provoking well argued primer on how the best intentions when clouded by hubris (unilateral intervention) leads to creating enemies faster than mushrooms grow in manure.

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Dec 11, 2010

Steven added it

Excellent. Author has a wealth of insight into how insurgencies become an extremely difficult situation for Democracies. Looking forward to authors latest writing.

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May 11, 2011

Jorah Dumond rated it

Very indepth account of the issue of insurgency from one of Gen. Petraeus' best advisors.

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May 27, 2009

John rated it

Very, very interesting. See mini-review at http://relaxandhavefun.com/?p=369

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May 25, 2009

Bobby rated it

Shelves: politics

Overall, I felt this book was quite informative regarding one of the greatest threats we face in the 21st Century. I did, however, find the section on Timor somewhat difficult to follow. (Perhaps because I haven't followed this situation much in the news in recent years. I do intend on re-reading this section of the book.) David Kilcullen's is definitely worth reading if you are interested in getting one expert's perspective on how western societies should deal with terrorism for the next fift...more

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Oct 17, 2010

Sean Vangordon rated it

Very good read. Increased my understanding of the two wars we are in.

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May 07, 2009

Cimuchowski marked it as to-read

Thanks Armchairgeneral.com

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Feb 14, 2010

Dan rated it

Shelves: 21st-century-foreign-policy

Excellent book describing what is happening in the world from a terrorism and counterinsurgency perspective. His recommendations and conclusions should be examined by policy makers on all levels.

Book was hard to digest at times but the insights that he has from a variety of conflicts allows Kilcullen to fully analyze the strategic and tactical issues impacting the the global environment. His case study on Afghanistan should be examined further in light of current military operations...more

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May 16, 2009

T marked it as to-read

U240.K49 2009

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Jul 27, 2011

Lester Ballard rated it

Amazing, clear-sighted.

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Jun 08, 2009

Chris rated it

Shelves: military, didn-t-finish

Reads like a dissertation at times. Only got to page 37. The type of book the boss will have someone do an executive summary on it as he is too lazy to read it. If I were on active duty or deploying I would read it and reread it. Good to know they finally started listening to the author.

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Feb 17, 2010

Bucky Mcmahon rated it

The author warns the reader that the book is too informal for the academic and too academic for the layman. I found that to be accurate; my interest in the content didn't survive the demands on my time and aattention, alas. Still, his main point, about how precarious the balance of loyalty can be--do the locals shoot at us or join us in "protecting" them--is fascinating and revelatory.

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