Contemporary, NON-western insurgency/COIN literature or manuals

[c_warner]

Hello to the community,

I am looking for online resources or in-print titles pertaining to contemporary, NON-western insurgency/COIN literature or manuals. In emphasizing the NON-western aspect of this inquiry, I mean bodies of work that may have been, for example, developed in the M.E. or Central Asia and not within western professional communities. The works can be published in either Arabic or English. This request is intentionally broad as I do not want to limit any responses or suggestions that may not fit within more specific parameters. Thanks for your time and I look forward to any responses.

Best,

Charlie

[SJPONeill]

Hi Charlie

I came across this reference to a publication on Japanese COIN during WW2 (http://www.quikmaneuvers.com/japanes...gency-ww2.html) while I was writing up my thoughts on the FM 3-24 rewrite...not sure if it the type of thing that you are after and I know nothing more about the publication that what you see on the site...

You've piqued my interest in this area with your questiuon and I will make further inquiries through my networks...what sort of time frame are you working on? Are you interesting in only the narrow definition of COIN a la FM 3-24 et al or publications covering what might more broadly be considered irregular warfare?

Simon

[c_warner]

Thank you Simon for your reply and interest...

As of now, my time frame for this project runs toward the end of August but that is not a firm deadline right now.

As for the sources, I am interested in COIN material similar to FM 3-24 as well as more broad sources that may inform about irregular warfare techniques. I'm trying to look at COIN methodology and theory from the opposite perspective coming from the mountain literature recently developed over the past decade in western professional communities. I would be especially interest in, for example, Iranian articles or "monograph" equivalent concerning their mindset on insurgency/COIN.

Thanks again...looking forward to seeing what you might come up with. I will certainly examine the WW II analysis you included here.

[davidbfpo]

C_Warner posted:

I would be especially interest in, for example, Iranian articles or "monograph" equivalent concerning their mindset on insurgency/COIN.

The Iranians have to my limited knowledge fought insurgencies three times; in Kurdistan, although this was mainly a conventional war; against Arab speakers in the south-east (which led to an incident in London long ago) and as part of a coalition in Dhofar Province, Oman - with a brigade helping.

I have read a few books on the Oman, but they concentrate on the Anglo-Omani aspects. Might there be sources not in English, or even in Oman?

[c_warner]

C_Warner posted:

The Iranians have to my limited knowledge fought insurgencies three times; in Kurdistan, although this was mainly a conventional war; against Arab speakers in the south-east (which led to an incident in London long ago) and as part of a coalition in Dhofar Province, Oman - with a brigade helping.

I have read a few books on the Oman, but they concentrate on the Anglo-Omani aspects. Might there be sources not in English, or even in Oman?

I would agree with your outline of Iranian COIN efforts - was hoping to find any documents or AARs that might have stemmed from some of those actions. In Persian or English.

Can you be more specific about the "Anglo-Omani" aspects of the books concerning Oman? Thanks for your interest.

[davidbfpo]

C-Warner asked:

Can you be more specific about the "Anglo-Omani" aspects of the books concerning Oman? Thanks for your interest.

The focus of the books and articles seen has been on the Dhofar campaign being a truly 'Small War', in an Arab, Muslim country with a long history of British involvement and with British officers in command.

I can only put my hand on one book now, 'SAS Operation Oman by Tony Jeapes, pub. 1980, which has nine references to the Iranians - nothing on any separate Iranian COIN approach, they were under Oman's command exercised by British officers.

One of the British commanders John Akehurst wrote a book 'We Won a War', pub. 1982 and one RUSI Journal reviewer noted:

The book is kind to the Iranian forces, whose contribution was of great importance. But their operational shortcomings are not concealed..

The last published book I've noted was 'In the Service of the Sultan: A First Hand Account of the Dhofar Insurgency', pub. 2006, by a then young British officer, Ian Gardiner; it had good reviews in RUSI Journal, but I have not read it.

[Steve Blair]

Hi Charlie

I came across this reference to a publication on Japanese COIN during WW2 (http://www.quikmaneuvers.com/japanes...gency-ww2.html) while I was writing up my thoughts on the FM 3-24 rewrite...not sure if it the type of thing that you are after and I know nothing more about the publication that what you see on the site...

You've piqued my interest in this area with your questiuon and I will make further inquiries through my networks...what sort of time frame are you working on? Are you interesting in only the narrow definition of COIN a la FM 3-24 et al or publications covering what might more broadly be considered irregular warfare?

Simon

That site is...interesting.

[Fuchs]

Yeah, I've yet to find a guinea pig for testing one "book" there.
The sheer quantity is unbelievable/suspicious.

I've been in contact IIRC two years ago with someone who's somehow involved there, my impression was that he was a semi-reasonable guy.

[carl]

This may be superfluous but David Kilcullen did a lot of study of Indonesian small wars. Maybe he would have some things.

[c_warner]

Yes, the "About Us" section was very "interesting" as well.

[ganulv]

It is not a manual, but chapter six of Fred Gleach's book -- a historical reconstruction of what the Powhatan conceived of themselves as doing in the 1622 coup de main in which they killed roughly a third of the European settlers in colonial Virginia -- is relevant to the topic.

[wm]

Not sure that they count as either contemporary or non-Western accounts, but Deneys Reitz wrote some memoirs of his experiences as a member of the losing side in the Boer War, as did Paul Viljoen--available on Amazon. Besides one might not consider the Boers to have been practicing insurgency.