Conflict has been a normal part of human life for decades. From historic conflicts such as the Spartacus led slave uprising in 73 BC to the insurgencies of today, there have been massive changes to weaponry and battle strategy. A large percentage of war strategists opine that the most complicated conflicts to overcome are insurgencies. This article takes an exploratory look at counter insurgency history, with special focus given to American engagement in war theaters over the years.
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.
Counterinsurgencies are often launched with three broad objectives. They include the achievement of political and economic stability plus security. Counterinsurgency is basically aimed at getting things back to normal. During conflict, economies suffer, there is political instability and civilians stand lose their lives at any moment.
Many authors have written works that are aimed at demystifying this type of conflict. Some of them postulate that as long as the reasons for an insurgency are genuine, it is bound to succeed. Only time will tell if this is true.
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.
Counterinsurgencies are often launched with three broad objectives. They include the achievement of political and economic stability plus security. Counterinsurgency is basically aimed at getting things back to normal. During conflict, economies suffer, there is political instability and civilians stand lose their lives at any moment.
Many authors have written works that are aimed at demystifying this type of conflict. Some of them postulate that as long as the reasons for an insurgency are genuine, it is bound to succeed. Only time will tell if this is true.
About the Author:
If you are looking for information about counter insurgency history, come to our web pages today. More details are available at http://www.genwars-fmfm1.com/think-tank now.
0 commentaires:
Enregistrer un commentaire