Recommended Reading?

[relative autonomy]

I have been researching Homeland Security very seriously for about 6 months now. There are no general audience books written on the subject, although there are some text books. I hope to fill that void within the next year or two. I have a whole lot of government documents, newspaper, magazine articles, if you want them, let me know.

Also, since davidbfpo mentioned the battle of Algiers, I would check out the the Selected Writings of Eqbal Ahmad, especially his essay "Counterinsurgency." Ahmad actually served in the Algerian NLF but turned down and opportunity to serve in the government, wanting instead to be an intellectual. I imagine radical post-colonial studies aren't all that popular at Small Wars Journal but Ahmad, regardless of what you think of his politics, had intimate access to the "other" side of many definitive conflicts of the Cold War and really, despite his lefty reputation, was a critical independent voice. He was critical of the US's Middle East strategy as well as what he called the "twin curse" of nationalism and religious fanaticism in such countries as Pakistan. He made a lot of enemies on both sides of many conflicts but he was always offered well researched and very critical analysis. Also I think it would make the class epistemologically more complete (and honest) by including a nonwhite voice from the formerly colonized world.