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.
There are different types of insurgencies. Today, the most common ones are guerilla warfare and terrorism. Most terror related wars are fought out in urban or semi urban environments. On the other hand, guerilla warfare mostly takes place in jungles and rural areas. Both types are mostly perpetrated by non state belligerents. Counterinsurgency is a phrase coined to refer to attempts to crush insurgencies or mitigate their 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.
One aspect that has been noticeable with insurgencies across the globe is that the fact that America has been involved in mitigating many of them. Consider the example of the Taliban led insurgency in Afghanistan, one that the US has long been known to be embroiled in. The global war on terror is another case.
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 operation, which was later billed the Bay of Pigs invasion, was a total loss for the US. The Cuban authorities were well aware of the planned invasion, and had thus mounted proper defenses to counter it. Historians like to bill it as one of the worst disasters in American military and foreign policy 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 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 different types of insurgencies. Today, the most common ones are guerilla warfare and terrorism. Most terror related wars are fought out in urban or semi urban environments. On the other hand, guerilla warfare mostly takes place in jungles and rural areas. Both types are mostly perpetrated by non state belligerents. Counterinsurgency is a phrase coined to refer to attempts to crush insurgencies or mitigate their 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.
One aspect that has been noticeable with insurgencies across the globe is that the fact that America has been involved in mitigating many of them. Consider the example of the Taliban led insurgency in Afghanistan, one that the US has long been known to be embroiled in. The global war on terror is another case.
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 operation, which was later billed the Bay of Pigs invasion, was a total loss for the US. The Cuban authorities were well aware of the planned invasion, and had thus mounted proper defenses to counter it. Historians like to bill it as one of the worst disasters in American military and foreign policy 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 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.
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