The David Kilcullen Collection (merged thread)

[MikeF]

I picked up my copy of Davd Kilcullen's Counterinsurgency yesterday. In the preface, he states his purpose,

This book is far from a definitive study on this ancient subject about which so much has already been written. It is merely an incomplete selection of tentative, still-developing thoughts, from a practisioner's perspective, on the guerrilla wars we are currently fighting. I hope that other practisioners and students will find in it much to agree and to disagree with, and that it will thereby form part of a continuing critical debate.

(p. x).

I wanted to create a thread where we can discuss the merits and imperfections of Kilcullen's arguments. As I make my way through the book, I'll post excerpts that I disagree with to foster debate.

Mike

[MikeF]

Starbuck's offered his review of the book at Permissible Arms.

Karaka Pend's review at Wings over Iraq.

[Rex Brynen]

Starbuck's offered his review of the book at Permissible Arms.

Karaka Pend's review at Wings over Iraq.

So now--on top of trying to understand the complex dynamics of insurgency and counter-insurgency--I need to wrap my head around Starbuck/Karaka Pend virtual body-swapping?

It's too much I tell you!

[Starbuck]

This book is far from a definitive study on this ancient subject about which so much has already been written. It is merely an incomplete selection of tentative, still-developing thoughts, from a practisioner's perspective, on the guerrilla wars we are currently fighting. I hope that other practisioners and students will find in it much to agree and to disagree with, and that it will thereby form part of a continuing critical debate.

I'm glad Kilcullen qualified his work as such. Its two major flaws are as follows:

1.) Those of you who hang around the SWJ community and Tom Ricks' blog will have likely read much of the subject matter before.

2.) It's too ambitious for a practitioner's guide to COIN, but not comprehensive enough for an all-encompassing work. I think he might have done best saving his last chapter for another book.

[Backwards Observer]

Kilcullen suggests that the takfiris have made the world their theatre of operation, with the endstate being the renewal of the Islamic caliphate and expansion of Islam to the whole of the world. (from Karaka Pend's review)

So is the military involvement in the Great Commission a response to this? How effective do you see it being in the long run?

6. Change Continents for Christ. Working through indigenous military leaders, we help to train, equip and send military members in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America into their own nations in the name of Jesus.

http://www.charitychoices.com/charit...in/default.asp

[OfTheTroops]

If you wanna make a million you should write a 50-100 page Counterinsugency and You pocket guide. Who will be the first to do it? No articles dont count.

[MikeF]

So now--on top of trying to understand the complex dynamics of insurgency and counter-insurgency--I need to wrap my head around Starbuck/Karaka Pend virtual body-swapping?

It's too much I tell you!

Steady Rex, steady! Stay strong and focused. BTW, yesterday Glenn Beck compared us bloggers to the pamphleteers of the 1760/70s. Absorb that one as us Americans celebrate our Independence Day .

[Steve Blair]

Mike,

Now you're gonna make me buy the book. And I had an out-of-print biography of James Carleton all picked out....

[davidbfpo]

Mike F and others will be aware that David Kilcullen's work has appeared here before, but for those who would like to read more - these are old threads, oldest first:

http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ead.php?t=8352

http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ead.php?t=8959

http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ead.php?t=7224

http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ad.php?t=10322

http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ead.php?t=1649

[MikeF]

Steve- it's only $15.

David- thanks. I was about to link the past threads. For this thread, it is probably best to avoid the 28 Articles. Instead, focus more on his research methodology, comparisons and analogies (I want to tackle his Nazi COIN narrative), and analysis on Indonesia which is a place where some believe is the next major hot spot in the global insurgency.

[Dayuhan]

analysis on Indonesia which is a place where some believe is the next major hot spot in the global insurgency.

Who says this, and where? I'd be curious about the supporting arguments, as I'm reasonably familiar with the situation and I don't see it that way at all.

Of course I also think the "global insurgency" construct is a deeply stretched idea that is more harmful than helpful, so perhaps I shouldn't be asking about it!

[Bob's World]

Who says this, and where? I'd be curious about the supporting arguments, as I'm reasonably familiar with the situation and I don't see it that way at all.

Of course I also think the "global insurgency" construct is a deeply stretched idea that is more harmful than helpful, so perhaps I shouldn't be asking about it!

I worked the Southeast Asia mission for over 4 years, and many kept trying to make Indonesia into a big problem. "Most populous Muslim nation," so must be a hotbed of insurgency, right? Send a tremendous number of workers to the Middle East, so must be a pipeline of terror, right? Home of the JI, etc.

But insurgency isn't about ideology or religion, it is about politics and the relationship between a populace and its government. Indonesia, like most Asian countries, worked through the big legitimacy of governance issues in the post WWII era of insurgency; so is not a real player in the post Cold War era of insurgency that is sweeping those (largely Muslim) nations still heavily under the influence of Colonial Illegitimacy.

Indonesia is not a problem. We need to work with them as they have a tremendous future that we want to be, need to be for our sake, a part of; but we don't need to "fix" them.

[MikeF]

Who says this, and where? I'd be curious about the supporting arguments, as I'm reasonably familiar with the situation and I don't see it that way at all.

Of course I also think the "global insurgency" construct is a deeply stretched idea that is more harmful than helpful, so perhaps I shouldn't be asking about it!

Sorry for being vague. I've heard it in two wargame situations over the last two years- one ran by the military, one by academia. I confess to not knowing too much about Indonesia, and I was skeptical as well.

And yes, I would tend to fall into the camp that viewing every problem as a military one is much more harmful than helpful. When I'm feeling very pessimistic, I think that we're following the exact playbook that UBL wants us to.

[MikeF]

This Thursday, we're hosting a book signing event for Dr. David Kilcullen's "Counterinsurgency" in Fredericksburg, VA. As I'm framing my own questions, I thought that I'd open it up to the Council.

If you have questions, then post them here. I'll consolidate them, ask what I can, and provide feedback after the event.

I imagine this would be much better than a thread of "Answers by MikeF" .

Thanks

Mike

[davidbfpo]

Does the West / USA / NATO have the strategic patience to campaign against the 'Accidental Guerilla' and those who are closer to the global jihad / AQ?

I am mindful of the overwhelming majority in many NATO countries that are opposed to the deployment of military forces; in the the UK cited at over 80%. How can we engage in COIN when there is little public support.

(At times this theme has appeared in various threads, IIRC not recently; perhaps itself a sign of attrition).

[carl]

Hello Mike.

If you could, can you ask some or all of the following questions for me.

Are all the night raids conducted by our forces a net advantage or disadvantage for us? I wonder this because I have read that the Afghans really hate this tactic, despise us for using it and it is a continuing source of very strong irritation to them.

I have read that the main prison in Bagram is controlled by the Taliban and is a center for their recruiting and radicalizing. Is this true? If it is how did this get to be since one of the things we learned in Iraq is the importance of controlling the prisons and using them for counter-indoctrination so to speak.

Is there any chance at all of a successful outcome in Afghanistan if the Pak Army/ISI continues the level of support they give the Taliban in its various permutations?

If we were to completely abandon the supply line running through Pakistan, would we be able to maintain a viable effort in Afghanistan just depending on the northern supply route and air?

Thank you Mike.

[MikeF]

David/Carl,

I've got your questions written down. If anyone else has questions, then let me know.

Thanks

Mike

[SWJ Blog]

Kilcullen on Libya: U.S. Should be ‘Air Referee’

Entry Excerpt:

Former Petraeus Adviser Kilcullen: U.S. Should be ‘Air Referee,’ Avoid Arming Rebels, in Libya by Rick Klein, ABC News. BLUF: "Kilcullen, an author and former adviser to Gen. David Petraeus, said the U.S. should think about its role as 'kind of like the air referee. Oversee what's going on on the ground from the air and ensure that nobody, regardless of what their political orientation is, takes it out on civilians...'”



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[SWJ Blog]

Comparing Mao and Kilcullen

Entry Excerpt:



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[davidbfpo]

Prompted by the SWJ Blog article 'Meet An Urban Planner For Cities That Don't Yet Exist' and link:http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/mee...dont-yet-exist I found that two hundred threads contain Kilcullen and nine threads specifically contain his name in the title, so before I merge them to this 'Collection' thread they were:

1. In 2008 'Killcullen Briefing' a link to another website
2. In 2008 after his book was published 'Kilcullen article' on defeating the Taliban
3. In 2009 announcing a speaking slot 'David Kilcullen at the Pritzker Military Library'
4. In 2009 a link to an Australian TV debate 'Kilcullen debates the ethics and tactics of contemporary warfare'
5. In 2009 a thread after 'Accidental insurgent' was published 'Recovering David Kilcullen'
6. In 2006 'Kilcullen -- New Theories for a New Way of War'
7. In 2010 'Deconstructing Kilcullen's Counterinsurgency'
8. In 2010 seeking questions for a meeting 'Questions for Dr. David Kilcullen'
9. In 2011 'Kilcullen on Libya: U.S. Should be ‘Air Referee’