Resisting Rebellion: The History and Politics of Counterinsurgency

John Stempel
"An excellent comparative study of the interplay of politics and military operations in counterinsurgency warfare."


Book Description
People’s war. Popular revolt. Small war. Unconventional warfare. Insurgency. By whatever name you choose to call it, guerilla warfare has claimed countless lives in the twentieth century and continues to confound the militaries of major world powers. In Resisting Rebellion: The History and Politics of Counterinsurgency, Anthony James Joes argues that comprehension of the origins and motivations behind guerilla warfare requires an examination of its long history. More important, in order to prevail against the tactics employed by these nonconventional warriors, military thinkers and policymakers must understand that guerilla warfare is not just a military tactic but also a political strategy. Joes, one of the nation’s leading scholars of guerilla warfare, argues that any effective response to guerilla warfare must primarily be political. In a discussion ranging from Napoleon’s invasion of Spain in 1808 to the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, Joes examines the historical record to identify patterns in guerilla warfare and counterinsurgency that provide lessons to today’s political and military leaders. He shows that communists did not invent guerrilla tactics, which have been used from earliest times, and defines the fundamental elements of counterinsurgency that have been successful in the past. Resisting Rebellion is a major work that promises to redefine how we think about the politics of war and insurrection.


About the Author
Anthony James Joes, professor of political science at St. Joseph’s University, is the author of America and Guerrilla Warfare and many other books.


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The most successful counterinsurgency campaign undertaken by the United States was the one against Philippine insurgents following the Spanish-American War. Joes explains that the most crucial element of that campaign's success was the ability of U.S. forces to isolate the guerrillas from outside assistance while attracting civilian support through social reforms. But even more instructive than successful counterinsurgencies are the persistent patterns of errors revealed by Joes's comparative study. For example, Joes demonstrates that mistreatment of civilians and prisoners by counterinsugent forces has repeatedly alienated civil populations, generated recruits for the insurgents, and even eroded military discipline. Instances include the indiscriminate destructiveness displayed by the Japanese in China and the Soviets in Afghanistan, and the torture of suspected Muslim terrorists by members of the French Army in Algeria. Joes's comprehensive twofold approach to counterinsurgency is easily applied to a democratic polity such as the U.S. The first element, developing the strategic basis for victory, emphasizes creating a peaceful path to the redress of legitimate grievances, committing sufficient troops to the counterinsurgent operation, and isolating the conflict area from outside aid. The second element aims at marginalizing the insurgents and includes fair conduct toward civilians and prisoners, systematic intelligence gathering, depriving insurgents of weapons and food, separating insurgent leaders from their followers, and offering amnesty to all but the most incorrigible. Providing valuable insights into a world of conflict, Resisting Rebellion is a thorough and readable exploration of successes and failures in counterinsurgency's long history -- and a thoughtful account of the significance they hold for the future.


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