COIN Reading Lists (merged)

[Pattonmat89]

I paged through the threads about books on here, but I didn't exactly find what I was looking for. Specifically, I'd like recommendations on good introductory books for COIN. Note two things, please:

1. I already own FM 3-24. I bought it two years ago, and it came along with me to college.

2. I'm in college. So I prefer free things. Free things are nice.

Any other recommendations on books that relate to this sort of thing are welcome (history of radical Islam, history of Afghanistan, etc.).

Thanking you in advance.

[William F. Owen]

I would suggest you start with Clausewitz on War. Get the Howard Paret translation. THis is THE standard. Yes, it's heavy and not easy to understand, but COIN is merely a style of War. if you don't understand war - and very many do not - then you won't understand COIN at the level that is actually required.

After, that a liberal spread of Mao-Tse-Tung, Kitson, Julian Paget (if you can find any) - those are the British Army classics, and of course, William Gwynne's Imperial Policing. - again out of print, but there are copies out there.

Hope that helps. Actually reading this board, will equip in way that many would and should pay money for!

[Van]

USMC Small Wars Manual Available in soft copy for free. More of a TTPs and users' guide than a theoretical base, but much can be infered from what they chose to document.

[SethB]

If you do a search you can find Roger Trinquier's work online.

Just be sure to keep it in perspective.

This site also has an extensive library of resources, and a number of links to other sources.

[Starbuck]

T.E. Lawrence's Seven Pillars of Wisdom. He assisted in developing many of the insurgent tactics now used by many of the groups in Iraq (notably the IED, economy of force, blending into the surrounding territories, de-centralization of command, etc). He also makes comments on the organizational culture of the British Army that are actually quite similar to the organizational culture of the US Army in the War on Terror, which followed a long period of peacetime.

[SWJ Blog]

Gangs, Slums, Megacities and the Utility of Population-Centric COIN

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