Galula’s thesis is that one aim of war is to support the local population rather than control the territory. Reviewed by JANINE di GIOVANNI. Similar Items. In fact, he is considered in several circles to be today’s foremost authority in COIN and GW. Such a strategy does not require widespread public support so much as it requires a lack of a unified, determined foe. The Accidental Guerrilla is a book that will be an invaluable asset to a wide readership. That is why, personally, I (and many others) have been anxiously awaiting the release of his first book, The Accidental Guerrilla. But still, Kilcullen warns, it is essential to reassure the native peoples that you are not there to occupy them. He states, “The Afghan campaign is at a strategic crossroads, and may indeed be approaching a tipping point. There is much in this book that I like and admire but having spent a little time looking at some of the more critical reviews of this book I cannot give it five stars or praise it without mentioning criticisms. Lawrence evoked the means of waging irregular warfare in his 1926 classic, 'Seven Pillars of Wisdom', Mr. Kilcullen describes the practitioner's art of combating insurgents."--. ‘This book is essential…. “You should talk to old Mrs. N, her husband was an imam who worked with the movement,” was the kind of lead Kilcullen would get after a time. It is no coincidence Kilcullen served as the Special Advisor for COIN to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and as General David Petraeus’ COIN advisor. Your email address will not be published. Book Review: The Accidental Guerrilla Discover The Accidental Guerrilla as it's meant to be heard, narrated by Peter Ganim. Despite the pessimistic tone, Kilcullen provides readers with a concise, yet comprehensive strategy on what to do next in Afghanistan. Add tags for "The accidental guerrilla : fighting small wars in the midst of a big one". Just as importantly, it will provide readers with the background they need to understand the events of the future and the role of the accidental guerrilla. One of the larger mistakes America has made in its handling of the Long War against Al Qaeda was ignoring the details of small conflicts that are so important to Kilcullen. Readers well-versed in COIN doctrine and principles may not obtain any significant nuggets to add to their understanding of the subject. He quotes a colonel in Afghanistan: “You can drill a well in a day, and build a school in a month, . First, some may find Kilcullen’s writing in the early stages of the book a bit too academic for them and they may lose interest in the book. His ideas were linked to the research he did 10 years earlier in the Javanese jungle: the theory that the war on terror has essentially two contrasting aspects. This may seem a fine distinction, but it is very important to understand if you want to “get it” at all (I’m not a fan of the “get it” term, but I hear a lot of people using it who generally only “get” about 80 or 90% of “it”). Some insurgencies can achieve most of their goals by creating a situation that is so utterly intolerable to their opponents that anything would seem preferable to the conditions created by the insurgent. He takes these ideas and is able to dissect them into the elements of politics, security, economic and information in a way that all readers can comprehend. But the Vietnam lesson is fogotten. Even so, this book is essential. It will greatly assist readers in understanding the past. I recommend digesting Kilcullen’s information one chapter at a time. And with patience and cunning, he built up the knowledge he needed. Your email address will not be published. --Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek This would be a huge mistake, as the author’s style loosens up quickly. I found the most provocative portion of his discussion on Iraq was his assessment on why operations in the country are so challenging. The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One Audible Audiobook – Unabridged. Although the author covers several distinct areas in detail, they all revolve around his theory of what he calls the accidental guerrilla. The author is an accidental American given access to top secret information and inner circles much more appropriate to Ralph … The military must also protect. Oxford University Press, Mar 16, 2009 - Political Science - 384 pages. Based on field experiences and his extensive research, he believes this is the concept that essentially determines the outcome of any insurgency or counterinsurgency. He is adamant the Iraq War was a serious strategic error; however, he is just as resolute that forces must now stay until the mission is complete. However, an enemy-centric approach that neglects the population can very well result in the population being swayed by the insurgents, through propaganda and/or intimidation, and the end result of this is the creation of the accidental guerrilla. Rick Baillergeon co-authors with John Sutherland the continuing monthly series Tactics 101 for ArmchairGeneral.com. --New York Times Book Review "Kilcullen's compelling argument merits wide attention." Taliban did not do 9/11 and will not do the next. Accidental Guerrilla, however, comes about as close as I can imagine to such status. David Kilcullen. It simply generates far too many reflective opportunities for the reader. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. The Accidental Guerrilla Reviewed The Complex Terrain Laboratory website has has a good review of David Kilcullen's new book, The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One. This is why many insurgent groups engage in acts of terrorism – killing innocent people in marketplaces, on buses, or on trains. The Economist. Tags . A Senior Counterinsurgency Advisor to General David Petraeus, Kilcullen's vision of war dramatically influenced America's decision to rethink its military strategy in Iraq. Throughout the volume, Kilcullen displays a rare ability to take the complicated and place it in straightforward terms. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service. Thursday, July 9, 2009. Ignorance and Ideology Meet at the Capitol, Hungary’s Wartime Leader Struck a Faustian Deal With Hitler, Online Exclusive: Ram the Yankees, Full Speed Ahead. For those not willing to put in the time and effort, reading “The Accidental Guerrilla” could be like a junior high school student’s attempting “Ulysses.”. I had seen some pretty high-power reviews of David Kilcullen’s The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One start popping up, then a co-worker who’s acknowledged in the book’s Acknowledgements lent me her copy. Very, very interesting. --Publishers Weekly Starred Review For starters, this is a good description of the difference between counterterrorism and counterinsurgency. In total, he has a truly impressive resume for the authorship of his first book, The Accidental Guerrilla. Lawrence, Frank Kitson, or Sir Robert Thompson will be quite familiar with these principles. So the work of the international community, or NATO (which Kilcullen also advises) or America comes down to basics: securing villages, valleys, roads and population centers. I believe most readers will find Kilcullen’s treatment of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars both extremely valuable and explored in a unique perspective. The Accidental Guerrilla Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One. Second, readers who like to complete books in one or two sittings will find that nearly impossible with The Accidental Guerrilla. Hello Select your address Books Hello, Sign in. The Accidental Guerrilla has an anthropologist's sense of social dynamics and a reporter's eye for telling detail. Kilcullen skillfully interprets the future of counterinsurgency, the proper use of military force and what we must learn from our losses and mistakes. That said, it IS certainly true that the COUNTERinsurgent requires widespread public support. If T.E. Many intelligent, experienced, serious people thinking on the subject have assumed that the insurgent necessarily requires widespread support of the people. He is also an expert on counterinsurgency, or how to combat a rebellion, and one of the few brave souls who had the ear of people in the Bush White House and advised against the invasion of Iraq. This led to massive massacre of civilians before our troops went in. --New York Times Book Review From the Author David Kilcullen is one of the world's foremost thinkers on counterinsurgency and military strategy. It would have shamed them to stand by and wait it out, they said.”. In my view, the conflict remains winnable, but the overall trend is extremely negative and a concerted long-term effort is needed—lasting 5-10 years at least—if we are to have any chance of building a resilient Afghan state and civil society that can defeat the threat from a resurgent Taliban and an increasingly active sanctuary in Pakistan.”. The Accidental Guerrilla has an anthropologist's sense of social dynamics and a reporter's eye for telling detail. The Accidental Guerrilla has an anthropologist's sense of social dynamics and a reporter's eye for telling detail. Mr Bacevich is a highly intelligent and knowledgeable man whose work I have admired over many years (in fact, I quote him at length in two places in the book). This service included various assignments involved in COIN and guerrilla warfare, with deployments in East Timor, Bougainville, and the Middle East. I've been reading Kilcullen's book since last week, when he addressed a class I was attending at the National Foreign Affairs Training Center. I would like to point out a weakness in current thought among those who claim to “get it” on COIN. “This book, like its wars, is a hybrid: part field study, part personnel recollection; perhaps too academic to be popular and too populist to be purely academic.”. What is needed, he points out, is to develop strategies that deal both with global terrorism and conflicts at the local level. Sunday, July 5, 2009. If T.E. He is then able to articulate his analysis to others in a way that is understandable. “The Accidental Guerrilla” is not an easy book. Kilcullen states, “If we were to draw historical analogies, we might say operations in Iraq are like trying to defeat the Viet Cong (insurgency) while simultaneously rebuilding Germany (nation-building following war and dictatorship), keeping peace in the Balkans (communal and sectarian conflict), and defeating the IRA (domestic terrorism). Kilcullen skillfully interprets the future of counterinsurgency, the proper use of military force and what we must learn from our losses and mistakes. Counterinsurgency, he says, “demands the continuous presence of security forces”; “local alliances and partnerships with community leaders; creation of self-defending populations”; and “operation of small-unit ground forces in tandem with local security forces.”. The Accidental Guerrilla is a book that will be an invaluable asset to a wide readership. David Kilcullen is a former officer in the Australian Army, a strategist and a scholar. His numerous COIN-related articles and papers have embraced, particularly by the United States military. Then, he becomes a military adventurer, a modern Fitzroy MacLean: wandering through volcanic jungles; or flying in a Blackhawk over northwest Baghdad when an improvised explosive device detonates on the ground below, nearly plunging him to his death. The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One: Amazon.de: Kilcullen, David: Fremdsprachige Bücher 1 Review. What separates Kilcullen from his contemporaries is the distinctive combination of his experiences—academically, militarily, and to some extent politically—that enable him to view events and circumstances from a unique perspective. David Kilcullen (Author), Peter Ganim (Narrator), Audible Studios (Publisher) & 0 more. Kilcullen provides his recommendations on how to achieve this mission: the solution must be population-centric not enemy-centric. The Accidental Guerrilla by David Kilcullen, 9781849047111, available at Book Depository with free delivery worldwide. If instead our troops were to play a passive protective role, rather than massacre civilians blindly, USAID could, as did CORDS in South Vietnam, create an urban settings where youth and women could take refuge, slowly draining the rural “sea” (in which swim the Taliban) with industry and commerce. Free trial available! “The Accidental Guerrilla” is not an easy book. What Kilcullen wanted to do was to observe the movement the way the locals did — not from the “official version I could find in books.” So he lived in villages and conversed with his curious neighbors about blue jeans and the Internet, until they trusted him enough to share information. The VC were doing fine because, as in Iraq/Afghan efforts, career officers depended on being action-Jackson but since it had to be with low casualties, thy prepaired the ops terrain by stralizing it with ordnance, destroying all protein on it.. 4.5 out of 5 stars 125 ratings. Now in Afghanistan we get the benefit of Kilcullen’s once-quick-thru trips and the advice of one year tours from sililarly intel blind, language deaf, culture dumb officers. C. Hurst (Publishers) Limited, 2009 - Afghan War, 2001-- 346 pages. David Kilcullen. The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One by David Kilcullen. These all have to be done at the same time, in the same place, and changes in one part of the problem significantly affect the others.”, In terms of the future of Afghanistan, Kilcullen is not overly optimistic. After reading “The Accidental Guerrilla,” one is left to wonder why the Pentagon did not listen to his sage advice back in 2003, instead of that of all those cheery optimists who predicted the Iraqis would greet the American forces with flowers. Kilcullen’s knowledge of warfare is highly sophisticated, but he does himself and his readers no favors when he weighs his book down with acronyms and digressions. After the invasion, Kilcullen watched the growing mayhem with outrage and dismay. The Accidental Guerrilla: 9781849047111: Books - Amazon.ca. Lawrence evoked the means of waging irregular warfare in his 1926 classic, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, Mr Kilcullen describes the practitioner's art of combating insurgents. Was his assessment on why operations in the Midst of a Big one opportunities for the time! L.L.C., all rights reserved ve gained it for yourself out, is the central task.,! And a reporter 's eye for telling detail with this book is essential… out niches in various forms of.. 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