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 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.
Nowadays, such warfare is concentrated in Africa, the Middle East and South East Asia. The most dominant groups in these regions are ISIL, Al Qaeda, Al Shabaab and rebel movements that are intent on overthrowing governments. Not so long ago, the most dominant insurgent organization in Latin America was the FARC guerilla group. Thankfully, it signed a peace pact with the government of Colombia recently, bringing an age old conflict that had worn out the populace to an end.
Regardless of where most insurgencies emanate from, one truth is that the US army has been involved in counterinsurgency in most of them. Take the case of the Afghan Taliban insurgency, one that the US has countered for decades. Another one to include in the list is the international 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, 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.
Counterinsurgency often has three wide objectives. It is intended to restore security and economic and political stability. It can be best thought of as a solution to restoring normalcy. Whenever there is conflict, civilians lose their lives, political instability kicks in and the local economy falters.
There are many authors whose literary works debunk the myths that normally surround counterinsurgency. Some opine that as long as an insurgent group has genuine reasons for its actions, it is poised to succeed. Only time will ascertain the veracity of this hypothesis.
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.
Nowadays, such warfare is concentrated in Africa, the Middle East and South East Asia. The most dominant groups in these regions are ISIL, Al Qaeda, Al Shabaab and rebel movements that are intent on overthrowing governments. Not so long ago, the most dominant insurgent organization in Latin America was the FARC guerilla group. Thankfully, it signed a peace pact with the government of Colombia recently, bringing an age old conflict that had worn out the populace to an end.
Regardless of where most insurgencies emanate from, one truth is that the US army has been involved in counterinsurgency in most of them. Take the case of the Afghan Taliban insurgency, one that the US has countered for decades. Another one to include in the list is the international 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, 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.
Counterinsurgency often has three wide objectives. It is intended to restore security and economic and political stability. It can be best thought of as a solution to restoring normalcy. Whenever there is conflict, civilians lose their lives, political instability kicks in and the local economy falters.
There are many authors whose literary works debunk the myths that normally surround counterinsurgency. Some opine that as long as an insurgent group has genuine reasons for its actions, it is poised to succeed. Only time will ascertain the veracity of this hypothesis.
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