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.
Insurgencies come in various types. Nowadays, the most practiced ones are guerilla conflict and terrorism. Most terror related wars are carried out in urban and semi urban settings. In comparison, guerilla warfare is often based in rural places and dense jungles. The key instigators of these kinds of conflicts are often not affiliated to governments. The term counterinsurgency is used to denote the act of responding to an insurgency with the aim of stopping it or controlling its 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.
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.
The history of this type of conflict is not limited to the post 2000 era. In the 1960s, the US got embroiled in a bloody war to weed out communist insurgents in Vietnam. The success of the operation has long been in dispute, with many calling it a pyrrhic victory on the part of the Americans. Around the same time, the American government went to the other side of the coin when it funded an insurgent militia to overthrow the communist government of Fidel Castro in Cuba.
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.
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.
Many publications on counterinsurgency have been made. Some authors postulate that provided there are genuine reasons for an insurgency, it is likely to succeed. The truthfulness of this can only be known with time.
Insurgencies come in various types. Nowadays, the most practiced ones are guerilla conflict and terrorism. Most terror related wars are carried out in urban and semi urban settings. In comparison, guerilla warfare is often based in rural places and dense jungles. The key instigators of these kinds of conflicts are often not affiliated to governments. The term counterinsurgency is used to denote the act of responding to an insurgency with the aim of stopping it or controlling its 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.
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.
The history of this type of conflict is not limited to the post 2000 era. In the 1960s, the US got embroiled in a bloody war to weed out communist insurgents in Vietnam. The success of the operation has long been in dispute, with many calling it a pyrrhic victory on the part of the Americans. Around the same time, the American government went to the other side of the coin when it funded an insurgent militia to overthrow the communist government of Fidel Castro in Cuba.
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.
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.
Many publications on counterinsurgency have been made. Some authors postulate that provided there are genuine reasons for an insurgency, it is likely to succeed. The truthfulness of this can only be known with time.
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