War of the Flea: The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare - Taber, Robert Review & Synopsis

Synopsis "The guerrilla fights the war of the flea, and his military enemy suffers the dog's disadvantages: too much to defend; too small, ubiquitous, and agile an enemy to come to grips with." With these words, Robert Taber began a revolution in conventional military thought that has dramatically impacted the way armed conflicts have been fought since the book's initial publication in 1965. Whether ideological, nationalistic, or religious, all guerrilla insurgencies use similar tactics to advance their cause. War of the Flea's timeless analysis of the guerrilla fighter's means and methods provides a fundamental resource for any reader seeking to understand this distinct form of warfare and the challenge it continues to present to today's armed forces in the Philippines, Colombia, and elsewhere. Review Robert Taber traveled to Cuba in the late 1950s as a CBS investigative journalist to cover the country's burgeoning revolutionary movement. He became an eyewitness to history as he marched from the Sierra Maestra to Havana with the ragtag revolutionaries, led by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, who forced Batista to flee the country. Taber also wrote M-26: Biography of a Revolution."[The author has] the odd accolade of being the only American among Castro's defending forces at Playa Giron....He makes an excellent case, a sort of modern Sun Tzu who finds romance in the abstract guerilla formula of juggling time, space, and will." "Very interesting on the popular level, and a good example of political journalism..." "Has new relevance as terrorist organizations inspired by new revolutionaries dominate the international security landscape. . . . Reading The War of the Flea is an excellent beginning to understanding the current problems facing the military." War of the Flea Presents numerous case studies of guerrilla insurgencies and the different options for official government responses Presents numerous case studies of guerrilla insurgencies and the different options for official government responses" Encyclopedia of Insurgency and Counterinsurgency: A New Era of Modern Warfare A fascinating look at the insurgencies and counterinsurgencies throughout history with a concentration on the 20th and 21st centuries. • An introduction by Dr. Conrad Crane of the Army War College, a widely acknowledged expert on the topic • Essays on terms used to describe aspects of insurgency and counterinsurgencies • A chronology tracing important insurgencies and counterinsurgency efforts throughout history • An extensive bibliography that points students toward additional resources for further study In 1964 American journalist Robert Taber published War of the Flea , which is widely regarded as a classic study of the theory and practice of guerrilla warfare . Born in Illinois, Taber worked at various manual jobs before serving as a ..." The Art of War in an Asymmetric World The work examines the rise of the movements against globalization, modernization, and Western dominance that followed the collapse of the bipolar world and the end of the Cold War and that culminated with today's global jihadist movements. It describes how the U.S. had to adapt to this new, asymmetrical world of conflict with its strategic, doctrinal and theoretical responses to the threats of terrorism and insurgency that defined the Global War on Terror (GWOT). Unique in the breadth of its scope, the book connects movements from the Zapatista uprising to Al Qaeda's global jihad within a broader historical framework, connecting pre and post-9/11 conflicts under the unifying theme of a struggle against the forces of modernization. Featuring the works of key theorists such as John Arquilla, Thomas P.M. Barnett, Arthur K. Cebrowski, Jim Gant, Samuel P. Huntington, Robert D. Kaplan, David J. Kilcullen, William H. McRaven, and David Ronfeldt, this book bridges the fields of counterinsurgency, homeland security, counterterrorism, cyberwarfare, and technology of war, and will be a must-read for academics, policymakers and strategists. Taber , Robert . The War of the Flea :The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare . Washington, DC: Brassey's, 2002. —. The War of the Flea :A Study of Guerrilla Warfare , Theory and Practice . London: Granada, 1965. —. The War of the Flea :A ..." Combatants in African Conflicts This book focuses on the different types of combatants in conflicts in Africa, exploring the fine lines between what might be classified as a militia in one conflict, a rebel in another, or a terrorist in a third. Drawing on the work of Carl von Clausewitz, this book provides a conceptually stable and analytically sound new typology on combatants. Analysing the relationships between state and society, and drawing on Clausewitz's Trinity of passion, chance, and reason, the book presents a set of five types of armed actors: Professionals, Praetorians, Militias, Insurgents, and Mercenaries. Each type is developed through a close reading of foundational theoretical texts, reviews of contemporary studies, and a historical analysis of their unique characteristics. Unlike a reductionist binary perspective, this typology accounts for the dynamic, complex, and evolving relationships of these actors with the state and society. A typology of combatants in conflicts in Africa can provide avenues for more in-depth analysis of such conflicts and holds implications for Security Sector Reform projects and other peace-building programmes. As such, this book will be an essential reference for scholars and students of African Politics and Military and Security Studies. On Guerrilla Warfare , p. 52. 50. Vo Nguyen Giap. Selected Writings. Hanoi: Foreign Languages Publishing House, 1977. 51. Guevara. Guerrilla Warfare , p. 112. 52. Taber , Robert . War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare ." America's Dirty Wars This book examines the long, complex experience of American involvement in irregular warfare. It begins with the American Revolution in 1776 and chronicles big and small irregular wars for the next two and a half centuries. What is readily apparent in dirty wars is that failure is painfully tangible while success is often amorphous. Successfully fighting these wars often entails striking a critical balance between military victory and politics. America's status as a democracy only serves to make fighting - and, to a greater degree, winning - these irregular wars even harder. Rather than futilely insisting that Americans should not or cannot fight this kind of irregular war, Russell Crandall argues that we would be better served by considering how we can do so as cleanly and effectively as possible. Irregular Warfare from 1776 to the War on Terror Russell Crandall. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. ... See Stubbs, Hearts and Minds in Guerrilla Warfare , 1. ... Robert Taber , War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerilla Warfare . 4. 6. 7. 8." Irregular Warfare Taber , Robert . War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare . Washington , D.C .: Brassey's , 2002 , http : //www.worldcat . org / oclc / 49942647 . A description and analysis of the similar tactics used by guerrilla ..." Armed Forces and Insurgents in Modern Asia This volume traces the historical roots and evolution of insurgencies and counter-insurgencies in modern Asia. Focusing on armed rebellions and use of armed forces by both Western powers and indigenous states from the nineteenth century till present day, the volume unravels the problematic of change–continuity and addresses key questions on the nature of warfare. The book looks at eight different regions of Asia: US counter-insurgencies in Philippines; the British initiative in Indonesia and independent Indonesia’s counter-insurgency against its domestic populace; post-World War II Malaya; French and US war in Vietnam; British and Indian counter-insurgencies in North-East India between the nineteenth and early twenty-first century; Indian and Sri Lankan operations in Sri Lanka during late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries; British and US-NATO war in Afghanistan from the nineteenth century till 2014; and British and US counter-insurgency in Iraq during the twentieth and first two decades of the twenty-first centuries. The volume will greatly interest scholars and researchers of modern Asian history, military and strategic studies, politics and international relations as well as government institutions and think-tanks. 1 Robert Taber , War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare (1965, reprint, Washington, DC: Potomac Books, 2002), p. 76. 2 Some examples are as follows: John Ellis, From the Barrel of a Gun: A History of Guerrilla, ..." The Failure of Counterinsurgency: Why Hearts and Minds Are Seldom Won This book examines the implications of counterinsurgency warfare for U.S. defense policy and makes the compelling argument that the United States' default position on counterinsurgency wars should be to avoid them. • Examines a wider breadth of historical cases than other books on counterinsurgency, allowing for more accurate assessments and conclusions about the efficacy of COIN based on the lessons learned across history • Presents research-based evidence that the Unites States should get involved in counterinsurgency warfare only in the rare cases in which U.S. vital interests are at stake • Provides thought-provoking discussion of the domestic negative effects resulting from overseas counterinsurgency operations • Questions the effectiveness of COIN strategy by utilizing numerous historical examples covered throughout the book • Covers major instances of COIN warfare in history, including the French in Algeria and Indochina, the British in Malaysia and Afghanistan, the United States in Vietnam and the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and numerous others • Appeals to readers and students of military history, strategy, and defense Robert Taber , War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare (Dulles, VA: Potomac Books, 2002), pp. 12, 16. Italics were in the original text. 4. John A. Nagl in a foreword to David Galula, Counterinsurgency Warfare: Theory and ..." The Last of Africa's Cold War Conflicts Portugal was the first European country to colonize Africa. It was also the last to leave, almost five centuries later. During the course of what Lisbon called its “civilizing mission in Africa” the Portuguese weathered numerous insurrections, but none as severe as the guerrilla war first launched in Angola in 1961 and two years later in Portuguese Guinea. While Angola had a solid economic infrastructure, that did not hold for the tiny West African enclave that was to become Guine-Bissau. Both Soviets and Cubans believed that because that tiny colony- roughly the size of Belgium - had no resources and a small population, that Lisbon would soon capitulate. They were wrong, because hostilities lasted more than a decade and the 11-year struggle turned into the most intense of Lisbon's three African colonies. It was a classic African guerrilla campaign that kicked off in January 1963, but nobody noticed because what was taking place in Vietnam grabbed all the headlines. The Soviet-led guerrilla campaign in Portuguese Guinea was to go on and set the scene for the wars that followed in Rhodesia and present-day Namibia. Fontanellaz, Adrien and Tom Cooper, War of Intervention in Angola: Angolan and Cuban Forces, 1975–1976, Helion, Solihull, 2016. ... Taber , Robert War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare , Potomac Books, Omaha NE, 2004." The Political Impossibility of Modern Counterinsurgency The counterinsurgency (COIN) paradigm dominates military and political conduct in contemporary Western strategic thought. It assumes future wars will unfold as "low intensity" conflicts within rather than between states, requiring specialized military training and techniques. COIN is understood as a logical, effective, and democratically palatable method for confronting insurgency—a discrete set of practices that, through the actions of knowledgeable soldiers and under the guidance of an expert elite, creates lasting results. Through an extensive investigation into COIN's theories, methods, and outcomes, this book undermines enduring claims about COIN's success while revealing its hidden meanings and effects. Interrogating the relationship between counterinsurgency and war, the authors question the supposed uniqueness of COIN's attributes and try to resolve the puzzle of its intellectual identity. Is COIN a strategy, a doctrine, a theory, a military practice, or something else? Their analysis ultimately exposes a critical paradox within COIN: while it ignores the vital political dimensions of war, it is nevertheless the product of a misplaced ideological faith in modernization. The British, Boers, and Guerrilla Warfare , 1900–1902.” Small Wars and Insurgencies 23, nos. 4–5 (2012): 608–26. Taber , Robert . War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare . New York: L. Stuart, 1965. Taylor, Peter." Military Thought of Asia Military Thought of Asia challenges the assertion that the generation of rational secular ideas about the conduct of warfare is the preserve of the West, by analysing the history of ideas of warfare in Asia from the ancient period to the present. The volume takes a transcontinental and comparative approach to provide a broad overview of the evolution of military thought in Asia. The military traditions and theories which have emerged in different parts of Eurasia throughout history are products of geopolitics and unique to the different regions. The book considers the systematic and tight representation of ideas by famous figures including Kautlya and Sun Tzu. At the same time, it also highlights publications on military affairs by small men like mid-ranking officers and scattered ideas regarding the origin, nature and societal impact of organised violence present in miscellaneous sources like coins, inscriptions, paintings and fictional literature. In so doing, the book fills a historiographical gap in scholarship on military thought, which marginalises Asia to the part of cameo, and historicises the evolution of theory and the praxis of warfare. The volume shows that the ‘East’ has a long unbroken tradition of conceptualising war and its place in society from the Classical Era to the Information Age. It is essential reading for those interested in the evolution of military thought throughout history, particularly in Asia. Strick Van Linschoten, Alex and Kuehn, Felix (eds.) The Taliban Reader: War , Islam and Politics (London: Hurst & Co., 2018). Taber , Robert , War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare (Washington, DC: Potomac Books, 2002)." Contemporary Military Strategy and the Global War on Terror Contemporary Military Strategy and the Global War on Terror offers an in-depth analysis of US/UK military strategy in Afghanistan and Iraq from 2001 to the present day. It explores the development of contemporary military strategy in the West in the modern age before interrogating its application in the Global War on Terror. The book provides detailed insights into the formulation of military plans by political and military elites in the United States and United Kingdom for Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Alastair Finlan highlights the challenges posed by each of these unique theatres of operation, the nature of the diverse enemies faced by coalition forces, and the shortcomings in strategic thinking about these campaigns. This fresh perspective on strategy in the West and how it has been applied in recent military campaigns facilitates a deep understanding of how wars have been and will be fought. Including key terms, concepts and discussion questions for each chapter, Contemporary Military Strategy and the Global War on Terror is a crucial text in strategic studies, and required reading for anyone interested in the new realities of transnational terrorism and twenty-first century warfare. Reproduced in Strategic Studies : A Reader. Edited by Thomas G. Mahnken and Joseph A. Maiolo, pp. 421–436. London: Routledge, 2008. Taber , Robert . War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare . Washington: Potomac Books, 2002." The Control War The Vietnam War—a conflict defined by an ever-evolving mixture of conventional and guerrilla warfare and mass politics—has often been called a “war without fronts.” In fact, Vietnam had a multitude of fronts, as insurgents and counterinsurgents wrestled for control throughout 44 provinces, 250 districts, and more than 11,000 hamlets. In The Control War, Martin G. Clemis focuses on South Vietnam, where a highly complex politico-military struggle fragmented the battlefield along countless divergent points of conflict as both sides sought spatial and political hegemony. Complicating the conventional view that the Vietnam War was about winning “hearts and minds,” Clemis argues that both sides were more interested in asserting control over the people—and resources—of the countryside. As in other revolutionary civil conflicts, the key to winning political power in South Vietnam was to control the physical world of territory, population, and resources, as well as the ideational world of political organization and long-term legitimacy. Despite their countervailing purposes, both insurgency and pacification provided the means to exert this control. Proponents of each approach pursued the same goals, relying on a blend of military force, political violence, and socioeconomic policy to achieve them. Revealing the unique spatiality of the Vietnam War, The Control War analyzes the ways that both sides of the conflict conceptualized and used geography and the environment to serve strategic, tactical, and political ends. Clemis shows us that the operational environment of Vietnam, both natural and human-made, was far more than a backdrop to two decades of war. New York: Vintage , 1993. Staniland, Paul. “States, Insurgents, and Wartime Political Orders.” Perspectives on Politics 10 (June 2012): 243–64. Taber , Robert . War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare ." The Character of War in the 21st Century This edited volume addresses the relationship between the essential nature of war and its character at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The focus is on the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, situations that occupy a central role in international affairs and that have become highly influential in thinking about war in the widest sense. The intellectual foundation of the volume is Clausewitz’s insight that though war has an enduring nature, its character changes with time, space, social structure and culture. The fact that war’s character varies means that different actors may interpret, experience and, ultimately, wage war differently. The conflict between the ways that war is conceptualised in the prevailing Western and international discourse, and the manner in which it plays out on the ground is a key discussion point for scholars and practitioners in the field of international relations. Contributions combine insights from social theory, philosophy, sociology and strategic studies and ask directly what contemporary war is, and what the implications are for the future. This book will be of much interest to students of war studies, strategic studies, security studies and IR in general. Caroline Holmqvist-Jonsäter is currently completing a PhD in the conflation of war and policing in international conflicts at the Department of War Studies, King’s College London. Christopher Coker is Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He is the author of 11 books on war and security issues. Strachan, Hew and Andreas HerbergRothe(eds). Clausewitz in the TwentyFirst Century. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. Taber , Robert . War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare , London: Paladin, 1970." The Role and Limitations of Technology in U.S. Counterinsurgency Warfare Richard W. Rubright addresses the constraints of technology in enhancing American military capability. Analyzing the confines and self-imposed restrictions on the use of technology as well as current military doctrine, he develops a new rubric for guiding the military in modern warfare. Taber , Robert . War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare . Washington dc: Brassey's, Inc., 2002. Tanner, Stephen. Afghanistan: A Military History from Alexander the Great to the Fall of the Taliban. New York: Da Capo Press, ..." Contemporary Military Theory The book aims to provide the reader with a state-of-the-art introduction to classic and modern military theory. The text accounts for the most important theories within the field by developing and analyzing these theories, as well as problematizing both their normative and explanatory aims. While focusing on military theory, the book does not only reflect a single way of relating to knowledge of war and warfare, but furthers learning by introducing contrasting perspectives as well as constantly criticizing the theories. There is a clear need for an introductory text for the entire field of military theory that focuses whole-heartedly on the theories – not on their context or how they are expressed in practice during war. This book covers such questions as how we should understand the changing character of war, the utility of force and how the pursuit of political ends is achieved through military means. It draws upon and illustrates military thought through a wide-ranging number of examples from the Napoleonic Wars to the current war in Afghanistan. This book will be of great interest for students of military theory, strategic studies, security studies and defence studies. The Operational Art: Developments in the Theories of War (Westport, CT: Praeger). Taber , Robert (2002) War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare (Washington DC: Brassey's). Tangredi, Sam J. (2002) “Sea Power: Theory and ..." U.S. Army Counterinsurgency Warrior Handbook In the global War on Terror, among the greatest threats to the United States military are insurgent uprisings. Enter the U.S. Army Counterinsurgency Warrior Handbook, the counterinsurgency playbook used by the greatest army in the world. This manual establishes fundamental principles for tactical counterinsurgency operations at the company, battalion, and brigade level. It is based on lessons learned from historic counterinsurgencies and current operations. The realities of today’s operational environment—an environment modified by a population explosion, urbanization, globalization, technology, the spread of religious fundamentalism, resource demand, climate change and natural disasters, and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Both a boots-on-the-ground field guide to defeating an insurgency in a nation where the U.S. military has oversight and a high-level leadership guide for commanders organizing counterinsurgency efforts, this book—which includes battle diagrams and illustrations—is not only a must-read for military buffs, but also a valuable resource for business and gaming strategists. Taber , Robert . War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare . Dulles, VA: Potomac Books, 2002. Trinquier, Roger. Modern Warfare—A French View of Counterinsurgency. New York: Praeger, 1964. United States Marine Corps." Adapting to Win When insurgent groups challenge powerful states, defeat is not always inevitable. Increasingly, guerrilla forces have overcome enormous disadvantages and succeeded in extending the period of violent conflict, raising the costs of war, and occasionally winning. Noriyuki Katagiri investigates the circumstances and tactics that allow some insurgencies to succeed in wars against foreign governments while others fail. Adapting to Win examines almost 150 instances of violent insurgencies pitted against state powers, including in-depth case studies of the war in Afghanistan and the 2003 Iraq war. By applying sequencing theory, Katagiri provides insights into guerrilla operations ranging from Somalia to Benin and Indochina, demonstrating how some insurgents learn and change in response to shifting circumstances. Ultimately, his research shows that successful insurgent groups have evolved into mature armed forces, and then demonstrates what evolutionary paths are likely to be successful or unsuccessful for those organizations. Adapting to Win will interest scholars of international relations, security studies, and third world politics and contains implications for government officials, military officers, and strategic thinkers around the globe as they grapple with how to cope with tenacious and violent insurgent organizations. How Insurgents Fight and Defeat Foreign States in War Noriyuki Katagiri. ———. Hearts and Minds in Guerrilla Warfare : The ... Taber , Robert . War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare . Washington, D.C.: Brassey's, 2002 ..." Modern Insurgencies and Counterinsurgencies This book provides a historical study of the theory and praxis of modern insurgencies and counterinsurgencies (COIN). Modern Insurgencies and Counterinsurgencies: A Global History shows that the insurgents can wage a variety of conflicts: at times conventional war which lies at the high end of their spectrum, and terrorism which is located at the lowest end of their scale. When insurgencies reach a certain critical threshold, the insurgents shift their strategy from guerrilla (irregular) war to conventional (regular) war, and at that point the level of conflict escalates to the level of civil war. When the insurgents face intense state repression, they revert to terrorist activities. When the insurgents wage guerrilla war, they can be called guerrillas. The variety of wars conducted by the insurgents is termed as unconventional war. This volume demonstrates that the insurgents in the modern world had been motivated by a trinity: greed, grievances and ideology. Kaushik Roy traces the origin of modern insurgencies and COIN from the sixteenth century by focusing on regions outside Western Eurasia. He also touches on the twin interrelated phenomena of modern insurgencies and COIN metastasising into something new at the beginning of the Information Revolution at the end of the twentieth century. This volume will be of interest to researchers and research students of history, British Empire, imperial studies, Asian studies, security studies, strategic studies, and war and conflict studies. Warfare in Latin America, vol. 2 (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2007), 253–272. Taber , Robert , War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare (1965, reprint, Virginia: Potomac Books, 2002). Thompson, Leroy, Ragged War : The Story of ..." US Marine vs NVA Soldier In 1967–68, the United States Marine Corps (USMC) was on the front line of the defence of South Vietnam's Quang Tri province, which was at the very heart of the Vietnam conflict. Facing them were the soldiers of the North Vietnamese Army (NVA), men whose organization and equipment made them a very different opponent from the famous, irregular Viet Cong forces. From the 'Hill Battles' in April 1967 to the struggle for the city of Hue (January–March 1968) this bloody campaign forced the two sides into a gruelling trial of strength. The USMC held a general technological and logistical advantage – including close air support and airborne transport, technology, and supplies – but could not always utilize these resources effectively in mountainous, jungle, or urban environments better known by their Vietnamese opponents. In this arresting account of small-unit combat, David R. Higgins steps into the tropical terrain of Vietnam to assess the performance and experience of USMC and NVA forces in three savage battles that stretched both sides to the limit. Sweetland, Anders (1970). Rallying Potential Among the North Vietnamese Armed Forces. Santa Monica, CA: The RAND Corporation. RM-6375-1-ARPA, December 1970. Taber , Robert (2002). War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare ." Counterinsurgency, Security Forces, and the Identification Problem This book presents a theory and empirical evidence for how security forces can identify militant suspects during counterinsurgency operations. A major oversight on the part of academics and practitioners has been to ignore the critical antecedent issue common to persuasion and coercion counterinsurgency (COIN) approaches: distinguishing friend from foe. This book proposes that the behaviour of security forces influences the likelihood of militant identification during a COIN campaign, and argues that security forces must respect civilian safety in order to create a credible commitment to facilitate collaboration with a population. This distinction is important as conventional wisdom has wrongly assumed that the presence of security forces confers control over terrain or influence over a population. Collaboration between civilian and government actors is the key observable indicator of support in COIN. Paradoxically, this theory accounts for why and how increased risk to government forces in the short term actually improves civilian security in the long run. Counterinsurgency, Security Forces, and the Identification Problem draws on three case studies: the Huk Rebellion in the Philippines post-World War II; Marines Corps’ experiences in Vietnam through the Combined Action Program; and Special Operations activities in Iraq after 2003. For military practitioners, the work illustrates the critical precursor to establishing "security" during counterinsurgency operations. The book also examines the role and limits of modern technology in solving the identification problem. This book will be of interest to students of counterinsurgency, military history, strategic studies, US foreign policy, and security studies in general. “What Do We Know about Civil War Outcomes?” International Studies Perspectives, 15 (2013): 515–538. Taber , Robert . War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerilla Warfare . Dulles, VA: Brassey's, 2002. Tang, Truong Nhu." When Bad States Win There is a common assumption that the promotion of democracy and economic development are the most effective means of quelling widespread political unrest within a country. Many believe that free and fair elections, health care, education, and employment will help secure the hearts and minds of citizens. By contrast, the violation of human rights and international law is presumed to be counterproductive, engendering political protest and violent rebellion. When Bad States Win challenges the belief that democratic institutions and economic growth are effectual tools in countering insurgencies. Jeffrey Treistman uses a mixed-methods approach to examine the conditions in which governments have violated human rights and attacked civilians to effectively suppress political dissent. His research suggests that moderate levels of violence against civilians tend to backfire and only provoke widespread resentments that lead to the overthrow of a central government; however, when pursued to extremes, brutal repression and indiscriminate violence against civilians can effectively defeat a rebellion. As a result, bad states may sometimes win. As the number of democratic states in the world continues to decline, violence and authoritarian rule are on the rise. A thought-provoking and timely analysis, When Bad States Win offers important insight into how democratic states can respond to human rights violations in regions in crisis. Russian Civil–Military Relations and the Origins of the Second Chechen War . Lanham: University Press of America, 2008. Taber , Robert . War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare . 1965 reprint. Washington, DC: Potomac Books, ..." War, Clausewitz and the Trinity Today, the ideas of Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) are employed almost ubiquitously in strategic studies, military history and defence literatures, but often in a manner which distorts their true meaning. In this book, Waldman explores Clausewitz’s central theoretical device for understanding war - the ’remarkable trinity’ of politics, chance and passion. By situating the great Prussian in historical context, he presents a conception truer to Clausewitz’s intention. Seeking to achieve this through an in-depth reinterpretation of On War and Clausewitz’s other writings, conducted through the prism of the trinity, this book draws on existing studies but argues that there is room for clarification. It presents fresh perspectives into aspects of Clausewitz's thought and emphasises elements of his theory that have often been neglected. Furthermore, it provides a solid basis from which debate on the nature of modern war can move forward. Summers, Harry, On Strategy: The Vietnam War in Context (Hawaii: University Press of the Pacific, 2003). Taber , Robert , The War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare (Washington, DC: Potomac Books, 2002)." Waging Insurgent Warfare An analysis of insurgent warfare, looking at factors that contribute to insurgency. Alec D. Barker, “Improvised Explosive Devices in Southern Afghanistan and Western Pakistan, 2002–2009,” Studies in ... 1971); Robert Taber , War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare (Washington: Brassey's, 2002); Roger ..." Beyond the Battleground Drawing on ideas from classical military strategy, the Yijing (Book of Changes), and Chinese martial arts theory, Tom Bisio presents a fascinating exploration of how insights from these sources can be deployed to manage crisis situations in all aspects of our daily lives. Suggesting approaches for cultivating a strategic mindset that can be applied to one's relationships, work, and personal self-fulfillment, Beyond the Battleground offers methods of adapting to circumstances, conserving one's own resources, and avoiding or dissolving conflict that will aid any reader navigating the uncertainties of the changing world, including the business person, military theorist, or martial artist. Deftly interweaving his background in East Asian philosophy and history and his career in traditional Chinese medicine with his lifelong interest in the martial arts and military science, Bisio also presents examples of successful strategies from history’s great commanders such as Sunzi, Alexander the Great, Napoleon, and Mao Zedong. Sun Zi: The Art of War and Sun Bin: The Art of War . Beijing. Foreign Language Press (Library of Chinese Classics ), 1999. Taber , Robert . War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare . Washington, DC: Potomac Books Inc., 2002." Why Allies Rebel Analysing policy documents from nine counterinsurgency wars, Elias asks why powerful militaries have difficulty managing local partners. Revealing a critical political dynamic in military interventions, this book will appeal to academics and policymakers addressing counterinsurgency issues in foreign policy, security studies and political science. A Better War : The Unexamined Victories and Final Tragedy of America's Last Years in Vietnam. New York: Mariner Books, ... Taber , Robert . War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare . Washington, DC: Potomac Books Inc., 2002." Saving Afghanistan This book is about the future of Afghanistan which seems to be rapidly slipping into chaos. It contains perspectives on counter-insurgency and nation-building in Afghanistan. The expert contributors in this book focus on some key issues like, the character of the conflict in Afghanistan; the role of regional actors; the nature of engagement of the US and its allies; the assessment of the future course of action by major actors and the role played by INGOs and the international community at large. More significantly, the experts sought to answer the crucial question: what can be done to stabilise Afghanistan? This volume is a collection of their insightful papers Coupled with covert state support for armed groups , this region is emerging as the hub of instability and violence , and haven for the Taliban ... See Taber , Robert ( 2002 ) . War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare ." Third World Colonialism and Strategies of Liberation This book shows how Eritrea and East Timor developed sophisticated strategies to liberate their countries from colonialism, and emphasizes that these insurgencies avoided terrorism. I Robert Taber , War of the Flea . The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare (Washington, DC: Potomac Books, 2002), 39. Reproduced with permission of Potomac Books, Inc. 7' Andre Beaufre, “Battlefields of the 1980's,” in Unless Peace Comes,- ..." Over 40 Publications Combined: Implications Of Narco-Terrorism And Human Trafficking In Mexico and Central America On United States National Security Over 3,100 total pages ... CONTENTS: The Nexus of Extremism and Trafficking: Scourge of the World or So Much Hype? Crossing Our Red Lines About Partner Engagement in Mexico Two Faces of Attrition: Analysis of a Mismatched Strategy against Mexican and Central American Drug Traffickers Combating Drug Trafficking: Variation in the United States' Military Cooperation with Colombia and Mexico Ungoverned Spaces in Mexico: Autodefensas, Failed States, and the War on Drugs in Michoacan U.S. SOUTHWEST BORDER SECURITY: AN OPERATIONAL APPROACH TWO WARS: OVERSEAS CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS AND THE WAR ON DRUGS WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED FROM THE WAR ON DRUGS? AN ASSESSMENT OF MEXICO’S COUNTERNARCOTICS STRATEGY THE DIVERSIFICATION OF MEXICAN TRANSNATIONAL CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS AND ITS EFFECTS ON SPILLOVER VIOLENCE IN THE UNITED STATES Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations: Matching Strategy to Threat THE IMPACTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON CITIZEN SECURITY BEHAVIOR IN MEXICO Combating Transnational Organized Crime: Strategies and Metrics for the Threat Beyond Merida: A Cooperative Counternarcotics Strategy for the 21st Century MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS AND TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS, A NEW ALLIANCE? THE EFFECTIVE BUSINESS PRACTICES OF MEXICAN DRUG TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATIONS (DTOs) DRUG TRAFFICKING AND POLICE CORRUPTION: A COMPARISON OF COLOMBIA AND MEXICO CRISIS IN MEXICO: ASSESSING THE MÉRIDA INITIATIVE AND ITS IMPACT ON US-MEXICAN SECURITY BORDER SECURITY: IS IT ACHIEVABLE ON THE RIO GRANDE? Borders and Borderlands in the Americas PREVENTING BULK CASH AND WEAPONS SMUGGLING INTO MEXICO: ESTABLISHING AN OUTBOUND POLICY ON THE SOUTHWEST BORDER FOR CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTON DRUG TRAFFICKING WITHIN MEXICO: A LAW ENFORCEMENT ISSUE OR INSURGENCY? USSOCOM’s Role in Addressing Human Trafficking Southwest Border Violence: Issues in Identifying and Measuring Spillover Violence National Security Threats at the U.S.-Mexico Border Merida Initiative: Proposed U.S. Anticrime and Counterdrug Assistance for Mexico and Central America COCAINE TRAFFICKING THROUGH WEST AFRICA: THE HYBRIDIZED ILLICIT NETWORK AS AN EMERGING TRANSNATIONAL THREAT ORGANIZED CRIME AND TERRORIST ACTIVITY IN MEXICO, 1999-2002 Is the Narco-violence in Mexico an Insurgency? THE USE OF TERRORISM BY DRUG TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATIONS’ PARAMILITARY GROUPS IN MEXICO An Approach to the 40-Year Drug War EXPLOITING WEAKNESSES: AN APPROACH TO COUNTER CARTEL STRATEGY MEXICO AND THE COCAINE EPIDEMIC: THE NEW COLOMBIA OR A NEW PROBLEM? EXPLAINING VARIATION IN THE APPREHENSION OF MEXICAN DRUG TRAFFICKING CARTEL LEADERS Drug Cartels and Gangs in Mexico and Central America: A View through the Lens of Counterinsurgency The COIN Approach to Mexican Drug Cartels: Square Peg in a Round Hole Counterinsurgency and the Mexican Drug War THE UNTOLD STORY OF MEXICO’S RISE AND EVENTUAL MONOPOLY OF THE METHAMPHETAMINE TRADE Competing with the Cartels: How Mexico's Government Can Reduce Organized Crime's Economic Grip on its People FIGHTING CORRUPTION IN MEXICO: LESSONS FROM COLOMBIA Defeating Mexico's Drug Trafficking Organizations: The Range of Military Operations in Mexico Drug Trafficking as a Lethal Regional Threat in Central America What Explains the Patterns of Diversification in Drug Trafficking Organizations Evaluating the Impact of Drug Trafficking Organizations on the Stability of the Mexican State Calderon's Caldron: lessons from Mexico's Battle Against Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking in Tijuana, ... Taber , Robert . War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare . Washington DC: Potomac Books, Inc., 2002." Counterinsurgency Field Manual The Counterinsurgency Field Manual, written in 2006, is a guide for the Army and Marine Corps to all counterinsurgency tactics and operations, designed for use in Iraq and Afghanistan. The first manual on counterinsurgency in 20 years for the Army and 25 years for the Marines, this book contains information on intelligence, integration of civilian activities, campaign design, execution, security, and sustainability, among other things. A fascinating read for anyone interested in military history and tactics. The U.S. ARMY TRAINING AND DOCTRINE COMMAND, also known as TRADOC, was founded in 1973, to train the soldiers and civilian leaders of the U.S. Army, to develop operational policy, and to anticipate future operational needs of the Army. The U.S. MARINE CORPS COMBAT DEVELOPMENT COMMAND is responsible for training and indoctrinating the Marine Corps, cultivating war fighting abilities to make marines ready for combat. Training areas include leadership, education, organization, and requirements development. How Democracies Lose Small Wars : State, Society, and the Failures of France in Algeria, Israel in Lebanon, and the United ... Taber , Robert . War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare . Dulles, VA: Potomac Books, 2002." Someone Has to Die for This Hot on the heels of Killing at its Very Extreme, Dublin: October 1917 – November 1920, Someone Has to Die for This, Dublin: November 1920 – July 1921 wrenches the reader into the final frenetic months of Dublin's War of Independence, in uncompromising, unflinching, and unprecedented detail. The reader will follow in the footsteps of IRA assassination units on Bloody Sunday, witness the hellish conditions in Croke Park, taste the gripping tension that stalked the city as intelligence services battled it out over the winter, while equally clandestine peace feelers were set in play. The pressure ratchets up in 1921 as surging IRA Active Service Units take the fight to the Auxiliaries, police and military in Dublin. Swathes of the country erupt into violent attacks and barbarous reprisals. Killings escalate in daily ambushes. Prison escapes are vividly detailed, as are the Mountjoy hangings. Shuttle diplomacy intensifies as a settlement is desperately sought, but fault lines develop among the Republican leadership. Street-battles paralyse the city with civilians bearing a brutal burden; the IRA relentlessly presses on. The devastating Custom House attack precedes the war's ferocious final weeks, culminating in a near bloodbath that almost scuppered the truce. Experience these breathtaking events through the eyes of their participants. This is an unforgettable story, its style providing long-overdue justice. ... Hew, The First World War (Penguin Books, London, 2005) Taber , Robert , War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare (Potomac Books Inc., Nebraska, 2002) Talbot, Hayden, Michael Collins' Own Story (Hutchinson & Co., London, ..." The Legitimization Strategy of the Taliban's Code of Conduct What norms and principles guide the Afghan Taliban in their conduct of hostilities? The author focuses on the Layeha, a Code of Conduct issued by the highest Taliban authority. Interviews with Taliban members were conducted to understand their perception of the Layeha, which is modeled as a 'one-way mirror.' Taber , Robert , War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare , Dulles: Potomac Books, 2002. Takahashi, Hiroshi, “Taribaan shutsugen no haikei ... Shuji Hosaka, Kyoto: Center for Islamic Area Studies at Kyoto University, 2010." Al-Qa'ida's Doctrine for Insurgency Osama bin Laden’s words carry a great deal of weight in the West. When he speaks, or allegedly speaks, we listen. But what about the words of other key leaders in the Al-Qa'ida terrorist network? We can learn how to conduct the war on terrorism more successfully when we study their own manuals, written for their followers. But few Americans, despite their expertise in intelligence or security, know Arabic. Fortunately Norman Cigar is fluent, and here he presents the first English translation of Abd al-Aziz al-Muqrin’s "A Practical Course for Guerrilla War.” Saudi security forces killed Al-Muqrin, Al-Qa'ida’s leader in the Arabian Peninsula, in June 2004. Published posthumously, his Arabic-language manual provides a window into Al-Qaida’s strategic thinking and into how these terrorists operate. Accompanying the text’s translation is material on al-Muqrin’s life and Cigar’s cogent and detailed analysis of the key ideas in the jihadist’s doctrine and the results of Al-Qa'ida’s insurgency efforts on the Arabian Peninsula. This important work provides a primary source for students in the professional military education system who want to read a variety of military thinkers and develop insights into all warfighting philosophies, especially those emanating from non-Western sources. Academics, think tank analysts, and government officials in the United States and abroad will also find the work relevant to their own work on Al-Qa'ida and insurgency theory. With a foreword by Julian Lewis, MP, the Shadow Defence Minister for Great Britain. Taber , Robert . War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare . Washington, DC: Brassey's, 2002. Teitelbaum, Joshua. “Terrorist Challenges to Saudi Arabian Internal Security.” Middle East Review of International Affairs 9, no." Iraq at a Distance The Iraq War has cost innumerable lives, caused vast material destruction, and inflicted suffering on millions of people. Iraq at a Distance: What Anthropology Can Teach Us About the War focuses on the plight of the Iraqi people, caught since 2003 in the carnage between U.S. and British troops on one side and, on the other, Iraqi insurgents, militias, and foreign al Qaeda operatives. The volume is a bold attempt by six distinguished anthropologists to study a war zone too dangerous for fieldwork. They break new ground by using their ethnographic imagination as a research tool to analyze the Iraq War through insightful comparisons with previous and current armed conflicts in Cambodia, Israel, Palestine, Northern Ireland, Afghanistan, and Argentina. This innovative approach extends the book's relevance beyond a critical understanding of the devastating war in Iraq. More and more parts of the world of long-standing ethnographic interest are becoming off-limits to researchers because of the war on terror. This book serves as a model for the study of other inaccessible regions, and it shows that the impossibility of conducting ethnographic fieldwork does not condemn anthropologists to silence. Essays analyze the good-versus-evil framework of the war on terror, the deterioration of women's rights in Iraq under fundamentalist coercion, the ethnic-religious partitioning of Baghdad through the building of security walls, the excessive use of force against Iraqi civilians by U.S. counterinsurgency units, and the loss of popular support for U.S. and British forces in Iraq and Afghanistan after the brutal regimes of the Taliban and Saddam Hussein had been toppled. Critique of Anthropology 15(1):71–102. Taber , Robert . 2002. War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare . New ed. Dulles: Potomac Books. Whalen, Richard. 2006. Revolt of the Generals. The Nation, September 28. White, Robert ." War Against All Puerto Ricans The powerful, untold story of the 1950 revolution in Puerto Rico and the long history of U.S. intervention on the island, that the New York Times says "could not be more timely." In 1950, after over fifty years of military occupation and colonial rule, the Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico staged an unsuccessful armed insurrection against the United States. Violence swept through the island: assassins were sent to kill President Harry Truman, gunfights roared in eight towns, police stations and post offices were burned down. In order to suppress this uprising, the US Army deployed thousands of troops and bombarded two towns, marking the first time in history that the US government bombed its own citizens. Nelson A. Denis tells this powerful story through the controversial life of Pedro Albizu Campos, who served as the president of the Nationalist Party. A lawyer, chemical engineer, and the first Puerto Rican to graduate from Harvard Law School, Albizu Campos was imprisoned for twenty-five years and died under mysterious circumstances. By tracing his life and death, Denis shows how the journey of Albizu Campos is part of a larger story of Puerto Rico and US colonialism. Through oral histories, personal interviews, eyewitness accounts, congressional testimony, and recently declassified FBI files, War Against All Puerto Ricans tells the story of a forgotten revolution and its context in Puerto Rico's history, from the US invasion in 1898 to the modern-day struggle for self-determination. Denis provides an unflinching account of the gunfights, prison riots, political intrigue, FBI and CIA covert activity, and mass hysteria that accompanied this tumultuous period in Puerto Rican history. Taber , Robert . War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare . Washington, DC: Potomac Books, 2002. Talbot, David. Devil Dog: The Amazing True Story of the Man Who Saved America. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010." The U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual When the U.S. military invaded Iraq, it lacked a common understanding of the problems inherent in counterinsurgency campaigns. It had neither studied them, nor developed doctrine and tactics to deal with them. It is fair to say that in 2003, most Army officers knew more about the U.S. Civil War than they did about counterinsurgency. The U.S. Army / Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual was written to fill that void. The result of unprecedented collaboration among top U.S. military experts, scholars, and practitioners in the field, the manual espouses an approach to combat that emphasizes constant adaptation and learning, the importance of decentralized decision-making, the need to understand local politics and customs, and the key role of intelligence in winning the support of the population. The manual also emphasizes the paradoxical and often counterintuitive nature of counterinsurgency operations: sometimes the more you protect your forces, the less secure you are; sometimes the more force you use, the less effective it is; sometimes doing nothing is the best reaction. An new introduction by Sarah Sewall, director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, places the manual in critical and historical perspective, explaining the significance and potential impact of this revolutionary challenge to conventional U.S. military doctrine. An attempt by our military to redefine itself in the aftermath of 9/11 and the new world of international terrorism, The U.S. Army / Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual will play a vital role in American military campaigns for years to come. The University of Chicago Press will donate a portion of the proceeds from this book to the Fisher House Foundation, a private-public partnership that supports the families of America’s injured servicemen. To learn more about the Fisher House Foundation, visit www.fisherhouse.org. Taber , Robert . War of the Flea : The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare . Dulles, VA: Potomac Books, 2002. (Explains the advantages of the insurgent and how to overcome them.) Contemporary Experiences and the War on Terrorism Alwin-Foster ..."