James Madison - Greatest COIN leader in History

[Bob's World]

I debated starting this thread under "History" or "Futurists." I could still go either way, as the future of effective COIN lies in understanding the historic impact of James Madison and his work.

The United States was indeed, born of insurgency. The founding fathers, as insurgents all, then set about their new role as counterinsurgents, to shape a new form of government that was least likely to slip into despotism; while also ensuring that the populace was always well empowered to help keep the government on the straight and narrow as well.

James Madison is known as the "Father of the Constitution" and also as the "Father of the Bill of Rights." The US Constitution set a frame work for a government effective enough to run a major nation, but not so effective as to slide into despotism. To ensure that even more, Madison fought for the greatest COIN tool of all time, the US Bill of Rights. This document was designed specifically with COIN in mind.

Madison was also a Federalist with Hamilton, while at the same time a great friend and collaborator with Jefferson. He was able to see what needed to be done, and work with those who could help achieve it.

So, set your COIN manual aside; put your Kilcullen and Nagl back on the shelf. Reach for some really brilliant work on COIN, the works of James Madison. Once you can grasp why Madison's work is brilliant COIN, then you are ready to shape a context for other, more tactical works.

So, this thread is to discuss the work of James Madison, and why it marks him as the greatest COIN leader of all time.

[slapout9]

Glenn Beck is gonna love you. sorta. Beck Loves Madison but hates FDR....thinks he was some kind of communist,Nazi,dictator worst president we have ever had. While Madison could walk on water.

[Bob's World]

Beck is an entertaining whack-job.

I will say this for FDR, I think the Grand Strategy that he had shaped for Amercia coming out of WWII provides a great framework for a Grand Strategy for America today:

1. The "4 Freedoms"
Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Freedom from Fear, Freedom from Want

2. The end of Colonialism

3. The promotion of Self Determination

4. The "Four Policemen" to work together to secure peace globally (US, UK, Russia, and China)

[Bob's World]

A single paragraph from Wikipedia.

Much of the stability that has enabled America to endure is rooted in this body of work. Not by some fortunate accident, but through experience, study, debate, and war certain key concepts emerged to address the flaws of governance that are the causation of Insurgency; and when those fail, to ensure that the populace itself was empowered to prevent those failures of governance from growing too large.

"James Madison[2] (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836) was an American politician and political philosopher who served as the fourth President of the United States (1809–1817) and is considered one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.

The "Father of the Constitution," he was the principal author of the document. In 1788, he wrote over a third of the Federalist Papers, still the most influential commentary on the Constitution. The first president to have served in the United States Congress, he was a leader in the 1st United States Congress, drafting many basic laws, and was responsible for the first ten amendments to the Constitution (said to be based on the Virginia Declaration of Rights) and thus is also known as the "Father of the Bill of Rights".[3] As a political theorist, Madison's most distinctive belief was that the new republic needed checks and balances to protect individual rights from the tyranny of the majority.[4][5][6][7]"

[MikeF]

Freedom from Fear, Freedom from Want

From my understanding of the debates during the Constitutional Congress, the most contested word was happiness. Initially, in the first draft, it was life, liberty, and the pursuit of property. During that time, property equaled wealth. After much deliberation, they changed it to happiness.

This debate seems to be the perpetual morale struggle that our nation works through in every generation. Hard work and success over greed. Happiness versus glutony. It ebbs and flow over time.

[John T. Fishel]

but the pursuit of happiness only appears in the Declaration of Independence.

Cheers

JohnT

[MikeF]

but the pursuit of happiness only appears in the Declaration of Independence.

Good catch John. That's what I get for thinking too much on a Sunday .