Small Wars: a wide reading list

[zenpundit]

Just finished reading:

Blueprint For Action by Thomas P.M. Barnett

Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell

The Sling and he Stone by Thomas X. Hammes

Currently reading:

Unrestricted Warfare by Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui

Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam by Gilles Keppel

Reading next:

Shield of Achilles by Phillip Bobbitt

[Jedburgh]

I highly recommend a book not yet mentioned: Inside War: The Guerrilla Conflict in Missouri During the American Civil War, by Michael Fellman.

Published in 1989 by Oxford University Press, it is much more than a simple history of guerrilla fighting in Missouri. It is an in-depth analysis of the psycho-social interrelationships between the two sides in conflict and the civilian population caught in-between. The book, when read in the context of current ops, makes for quite interesting reading - especially the sections on Loyalty, Neutrality and Survival Lies and Collapse of the Sense of Security in the chapter on Civilians in Guerrilla War.

The book studies official attitudes of both sides, and compares them with the combatants' perception of self and others in the context of the conflict. There is much of value to be gained from this study in viewing today's war in Iraq. Cross-cultural perceptions between our forces and the various Iraqi players in the conflict are far more complex than those in 1860's Missouri during the Civil War - but I felt this book puts a valuable perspective on the combat effects of such views of the other side.

[GatorLHA2]

The American War for Independence provides some good examples of the fundamentals of COIN & Stability Ops (how not to do them), Small Wars, and Insurgency, with out all the clutter of high tech because the fundamentals of human nature in these situations has not changed.

Operations in the Southern Department i.e. Virginia, North and South Carolina and Georgia from 1779-1783 have many of the elements of small wars, stablility ops and insurgency. Much of the fighting in the South was actually a brutal sometimes uncontrolable civil war between Americans and presented quite a challenge to leaders on both sides.

The tactics and strategies of Gen Nathaniel Greene and BG Francis Marion influenced North Vietnamese leaders. Gen Cornwallis learned enough from his experience in the Carolinas and Virginia to be able to successfully resolve an Irish rebellion then go on to be high respected as the Gov of India. The use of "Information Warfare" by the US leaders played a big role in turning the tide against the British in the South after the overwhelming and seemingly decisive US losses at Charleston and Camden.

Some suggested readings include:

"A People Numberous & Armed" by John Shy
"Swamp Fox: The Life and Campaigns of General Francis Marion" by Bass, Robert D.
"From Savannah to Yorktown" by Lumpkin, Henry
"A Devil of a Whipping: The Battle of Cowpens" by Babits, Lawernce E.
"Calendar and Record of the Revolutionary War in the South: 1780-1781" by Sherman, William Thomas (can be downloaded from the internet as a PDF or RTF file)


There are other books on my "to read" list that are also of interest

"The Partisan War" the South Carolina Campaign of 1780-82" by Weigley, Russell Frank

"The Life and Correspondence of Nathanael Greene" Johnston, William reprint 1973

"A History of the Campaigns of 1780 and 1781 in the Southern Provinces" by Tarleton, Banastre reprint 1968

[GorTex6]

My reading list

[Stratiotes]

I highly recommend a book not yet mentioned: Inside War: The Guerrilla Conflict in Missouri During the American Civil War, by Michael Fellman.

Published in 1989 by Oxford University Press, it is much more than a simple history of guerrilla fighting in Missouri.

I would second that one - as well as The Devil Knows How to Ride by Edward Leslie on the same subject.

If you are a movie watcher, there is a fantastic movie with a similar title but based on an historical fiction book rather than Leslie's book:
"Ride With the Devil"

Seeing guerrilla warfare thru the eyes of other Americans with whom we can relate can be an education in itself.

For another great online resource, COIN - Rhodesian classic.

[Tc2642]

Got 'Learning to eat soup with a knife' by Nagl, cheap price aswell (I love you amazon!) today, planning to read in the near future.

Nearly finished 'On War' but I am reading through the largely redundant chapters on marches, billets etc, I have decided not to foregoe these chapters because I feel that I should read the whole thing to get an overall perspective, plus I may miss something that relates to the more important parts of the book

Have also been going through John Keegan's 'Intelligence in War', may disagree with him about Clausewitz but it is still a very informative and well put together book.

[CR6]

Just finished Nagl. Great read regarding armies as learning organizations.

Currently reading Hashim's Insurgency and Counter-Insurgency in Iraq.

Seven Pillars of Wisdom is in the queue.

[Tom Odom]

I am reading 2.

a. Dr. Joe Nye's monograph on Soft Power; great foundation for better understanding strategic IO. excellent foundation for looking at GWOT as global COIN and use of non-lethal power.

b. Assassin's Gate by Packer (also reviewed this month in Parameters by a friend, Andy Terrill); excellent insights on evolution of neocon thought and influence of Iraqi long term dissidents/expatriates.

Best
Tom

[zenpundit]

This may or may not be of great interest to the list, but hey, it's what I'm reading...

Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge by Edward O. Wilson -

Superb premise and better survey of the principles of the sciences and humanities. Indirectly useful if you are heavy into mil theory.

The Third Reich in Power by Richard J. Evans

A masterpiece study of Nazi Germany, second volume in a trilogy. Emphasis on the Nazi " coordination" of German life and Hitler's policies up until WWII

Up next:

Global Brain by Howard Bloom

[GorTex6]

Currently reading:

Unrestricted Warfare by Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui

Unrestricted Warfare, Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui

[Strickland]

War for Muslim Minds by Giles Kepel