Counter-Insurgency: Lessons From History

by Ian F.W. Beckett, John Pimlott

Insurgencies are at the center of most of the conflicts that confront the modern world, and they have been since the Second World War. Leading armies across the globe have well-developed strategies for fighting counter-insurgency campaigns which are continually adjusted and refined as a result of direct experience gained in the field. Understanding this experience and learning the right lessons from it are essential as new insurgencies break out. Perhaps this is especially important today in the wake of the attacks on America and the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that is why this new edition of a pioneering survey of the subject, first published 25 years ago, is of such immediate relevance today.

Editors Ian Beckett and John Pimlott brought together a team of expert contributors who provided an international overview of counter-insurgency strategies and techniques as they were perceived and put into practice a generation ago. Each chapter considers a different army and describes its reaction to insurgency, its operations in the field and the thinking behind its counter-insurgency strategy. Changes made in strategy and tactics in response to shifting circumstances and new threats are given particular attention.

This historical survey, which covers irregular warfare in countries as widely separated as Chad, Vietnam, Uruguay and Mozambique, will be fascinating reading for anyone studying insurgencies and the armed response to them.

Genres: History, Military Fiction, Military History, War

240 pages, Paperback

First published May 19, 2011

About the author

Dr. Ian F.W. Beckett is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and retired Professor of Military History at the University of Kent, Canterbury.

Reviews

[Eric Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main difference with this counter-insurgency book is that it is from the UK. Most of the counter-insurgency books that I have read usually come from US sources, and not so much from foreign books. Nevertheless, this book is a great read from a different perspective, and I found it great to read. It covered insurgencies that I didn't hear of, and I liked the author's view on the Vietnam War from the eyes of an observer, and not so much a participant in that war. Overall, the book is easy to read and doesn't require you to know counterinsurgency tactics. The chapters provide a detailed summary of what happened and how it affected the participants, somewhat better written than some of the American books. Overall, I thought it was great, and it even inspired me to write from a vignette that i read in the book.