Small Wars: a wide reading list

[tequila]

Inside Rebellion: The Politics of Insurgent Violence (Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics) by Jeremy M. Weinstein

Scratch this one - a limited study that seeks to prove a somewhat monocausal thesis - that insurgent brutality is dependent on the sources of insurgent funding. It has all the weaknesses of any monocausal explanation and is written in academese to boot.

I would suggest adding Resistance and Control in Pakistan by Akhbar S. Ahmed and Uncomfortable Wars Revisited by Council member John T. Fishel & Max Manwaring. Also Stathis Kalyvas has a bunch of his research papers up on the internet, which make excellent free reading here.

[SAMS2007]

Understanding Terror Networks by Marc Sageman
Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife by John Nagl

[RedRaven]

@SAMS2007

Read those two.

@tequila

Thanks, also good idea with the online stuff, I just got a kindle for my birthday and now I know what to fill it with...

[outletclock]

In the spirit of Tequila noting that Kalyvas has research papers online, I'd suggest that, if you have access to them, you download papers that were published prior to books. Two examples:

Paper, "Strategic Logic," was published in the American Political Science Review.

Kenney, "Osama to Bin Laden" was published in Survival.

You might well be able to get the gist of the books by reading the articles, and save yourself some time.

In terms of history, what about "The Generals' War" (Gordon and Trainor on the Gulf War) and Atkinson's Liberation Trilogy (currently at two books)?

Bard O'Neill's "Insurgency and Terrorism" is an extraordinarily well-written book, particularly given it's a handbook that, in some ways, lacks a thesis.

I think Rosen's "Winning the Next War," about military innovation, is a great book.

If you aim to go into intelligence, both Intelligence and National Security, and, despite its pulp-sounding title, International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence are both very solid journals, as are the Journal of Strategic Studies and Security Studies, in addition to International Security; World Politics and International Organization also publish security-oriented articles on occasion, as well as international and comparative politics more generally. If comparative politics is your thing - and if you're trying for a regional focus in the intelligence community - you might want to check out Comparative Politics and Comparative Political Studies.

"A Behavioral Theory of the Firm" and "Essence of Decision" are both nice works on organizational behavior - you can skip the case study chapters on the Cuban Missile Crisis if you're so inclined with respect to the latter.

Finally, as both history, literature (somewhat), and a primer on PC-COIN circa 1960, "The Ugly American" is hard to beat.

Again, though, you've got a very long reading list - above all else, I'd see if you can find article versions of the books to spare yourself reading that you really don't need.

Regards
OC

PS - Apologies in advance if I listed works you've already listed.

[slapout9]

Read the Cliff notes version of some of Karl Marx's writings. It's all his fault

[Marc]

Should I take anything out? Maybe there is theme or certain time period that I am missing? etc, etc...

Modern Warfare: A French View of Counterinsurgency (PSI Classics of the Counterinsurgency Era) by Roger Trinquier

RedRaven,

I don't ask you to take Trinquier's book off the list. However, please note that the French lost most counterinsurgencies they got involved in. My suggestion is you read something on a counterinsurgency that was American, more recent, and succesfull. Better still, it is available for free on this site.

Major Paul P. Cale, "The United States Military Advisory Group in El Salvador, 1979-1992," Small Wars Journal, 1996

http://smallwarsjournal.com/documents/cale.pdf

[max161]

Ted Gurr – Why Men Rebel, 1970
Eric Hoffer – The True Believer, 1951 (23d ed., 2002)
Gene Sharp – From Dictatorship to Democracy, 2002
Saul Alinksy – Rules for Radicals, 1971

[RedRaven]

@marc

I will keep the book on my list as it is part of the "vocabulary" (I think another council member was refering to this concept in another thread about reading lists) of COIN, but I will also keep in mind what you said. I think the same thing when I read Galula.

@max161

Read Hoffer, will add the other ones...

[jmm99]

I was reminded of this subject matter area in looking at COL Maxwell's list (endorse all those oldies but still goodies - hey, all Old Timers ); and by the discussion re: Trinquier and Galula. As to Galula, his most useful work for thinking and discussion is Galula's monograph at Rand (free in the pdf download), Pacification in Algeria, 1956-1958.

That piece is here reviewed by our own Polarbear1605:

I like the oven idea!

-------------------------

Quote [orig. from jmm99]:
Putting the insurgent in the baker's oven (it worked) would not be within UCMJ bounds today.

Actually, I like the oven idea because it was a ruse. I also understand what the Field Manual says about detainees. So the question then becomes; How does the Company Commander get the infomation he needs when fighting a counter insurgence? I really think we need a separate SOP for handling "detainees" in an insurgency. ruse = a wily subterfuge; sounds much better than "stick him in the oven" and should be authorized.

Pacification in Algeria should be mandatory reading for Lts, Capts and especially, Generals

BTW: The French won the military struggle; they lost the political struggle.

The Great White Bear's comment allows me to segué into my other choices - and not a lawbook among them

Next, a topic dear to the hearts of PB1605 and jmm99 - defense of folks tried before courts-martial for alleged homicides of "civilians" during the course of irregular warfare. For that, we take an entertainment break (pun was actually unintentional - I'm still on my first coffee):

Breaker Morant (film)

Court martial of Breaker Morant

Breaker Morant (link drops down to discussion of the Scapegoats book by George Witton, the only accused not executed)

Lieut. George Witton, Scapegoats of the Empire: The True Story of Breaker Morant'S Bushveldt Carbineers (1907 -A Project Gutenberg of Australia eBook)

I have not attempted to defend the doings of the ill-starred Bushveldt Carbineers, or the policy of those who employed them.

The methods of dealing with prisoners, which have been solely attributed to that corps, were in active operation before the so-called "Australian" officers went to the Spelonken district--a fact which the English press, and a large section of the Australian press, systematically ignored.

When I arrived in Australia, I found that the grossest misrepresentations had been made by those primarily responsible for the manner of the warfare which "staggered humanity," and that they had succeeded in linking the name of Australia with the most tragic and odious incidents connected with a mercenary and inglorious war.

BTW: the trial transcript went missing.

The collision of the Laws of War and the Rule of Law is never a simple one in cases involving irregular warfare.

Finally and another free one: Peter A. Newall, Preparing the Strategic Sergeant for War in a Flat World: Challenges in the Application of Ethics and and the Rules of Engagement (ROE) in Joint/Multinational/Multicultural Operations (2008 Master's thesis) (at DTIC).

In the usual run of things, I end up reading materials by active and retired JAG officers, and by I Law professors (some of them are actually OK). It was refreshing to see this subject approached by a non-legal beagle, combat officer.

The thesis has five parts:

Chapter I – Introduction

Chapter II – Doctrinal Review (a non-technical focus on: The Theory of Armed Conflict; US Policy and Law; Rules of Engagement; Commander’s Intent)

Chapter III – Situational Analysis (focus on his Analytical Model & Case Study – The Fall of a Warrior King) - discussed here at SWC in "Sassaman Interview"

Chapter IV – Training (focus on Institutional Training; Combat Training Center Program)

Chapter V – Summary and Conclusions (focus on Understanding the Law of War; Collective Training)

This is simply a good, practical article (again, for thought and discussion), which should be more relevant to combat officers than to armchair lawyers (though it certainly held my interest).

So, everyone else reading this should read COL Newell's thesis - these for optional viewing

Coffee nearly finished (regular cup size, but Bedouin-style w/ lots of sugar - wire-up time) - so, time to go.

Regards

Mike

[selil]

Ladies and Gentlemen,
As I approach the end of undergrad I am settling on going onto higher levels of education and focusing on National Security and especially terrorism/revolution/small wars and intelligence (as at this moment my long term, hoped for, goal is to join the intelligence community).

That is a great topical list. It should give you a minor background in the discipline but won't actually help you through a good graduate program. But, then again what would "I" know about graduate studies....

I'd suggest you forwith, post haste, absurdly speedo read a few other things.

Thomas Kuhn, "The structure of scientific revolutions"

versus..

Karl Popper, "Conjectures and Refutation: The growth of scientific knowledge"


You will need these.....

Michael Alley, "The craft of scientific writing"

Michael Alley, "The craft of scientific presentations"

Then in this corner...

Garr Reynolds, "Presentation Zen simple ideas on presentation design and delivery"

For the dreaded group projects a suggestion....

David Straker, "Rapid Problem Solving with Post-It notes"

Someday I'll post a youtube video on how to read. I know you think you know how, but you don't really. You likely read in serial and front to back. That is wrong. But, that is a topic for another day.

[RedRaven]

@selil

Due to my school work at the moment I am really focused on the substantive side of my reading. However, I will add the other books and see if I can get through them at some point (probably not till next winter break, but I like having a long range plan).

Also can you elaborate on your comments about reading?

[Fuchs]

"Strategy: The Logic of War and Peace"
by Edward N. Luttwak

[outletclock]

I'd take a look at van Evera, "Guide to Methods for Students of Political Science."

The book has its flaws, but has its merits, too.

I think exposure to methods could potentially be very useful.

Regards
OC

[selil]

@selil

Due to my school work at the moment I am really focused on the substantive side of my reading. However, I will add the other books and see if I can get through them at some point (probably not till next winter break, but I like having a long range plan).

Also can you elaborate on your comments about reading?

Let me put it to you this way. In my Masters and Doctoral program I had to read everything from computer science theory books, to fictional historical accounts of alien species (computer science is nothing if not esoteric). A semester trip to the book store has you walking out with 14 or 15 books. For each class. On average you had to read 4 to 5 books a week. With high cognitive understanding and ability to discuss in detail page by page what was going on. Instantly.

How do you do that? In general if you read a book serially pretty poorly.

So you don't read a "book" front to back. You read the first and last paragraph of the chapter. With text books you read the first and maybe second sentence of every paragraph. You read the sentence before, during, and after bolded words. You read the chapter summary (if there is one) and you finally read all the sidebars (as they usually draw context). You have at that point gutted the book and should be able to pass most any exam or inquisition.

Journal articles are structured abstract-introduction-methods-results-conclusions-bibliography in general.

You read them abstract-conclusions-results-methods and rarely read the introduction unless you are a neophyte to the field. This is easier to do in the sciences than in the "soft" side of the university. Your read the abstract to se if you are going to continue reading, and conclusions to see if you care. You read the results to compare against their methods. You should never cite papers from the introduction and only from the conclusions or results unless you are borrowing methods. Everything else is chaff.

Always read the bibliography of any paper. It can lend weight to the credibility of a paper. After awhile you will know where the disciplines figures or leaders are and know what silos exist. The bibliography will define that sooner rather than later.

Yes there are lots more "tricks" than these, but I consider them scholarly craftsmanship and part of the process of skill building.

[davidbfpo]

Just a reminder this list, now with four other threads merged in exists and perhaps readers can add new items?