Violent Politics

William R. Polk

• Editore: HarperCollins e-books
• Anno: 2009
• ISBN:
  9780061758393
• Argomento: Politics & International Relations
• Categoria: Terrorism

In the current Middle East, insurgency tactics are used with frequency and increasing success. But guerrilla war-fare is not just the tool of modern-day terrorists. Its roots stretch back to our very own revolution.

In Violent Politics, William Polk takes us on a concise, brilliant tour of insurgencies throughout history, starting with the American struggle for independence, when fighters had to battle against both the British and the loyalists, those colonists who sided with the monarchy. Instinctively, in a way they probably wouldn't have described as a coherent strategy, the rebel groups employed the tactics of insurgency.

From there, Polk explores the role of insurgency in several other notable conflicts, including the Spanish guerrilla war against Napoleon, the Irish struggle for independence, the Algerian War of National Independence, and Vietnam. He eventually lands at the present day, where the lessons of this history are needed more than ever as Americans engage in ongoing campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq—and beyond.

SEARCHABLE TERMS

Abane, Ramdane

Abbas, Farhat,

Abdul-Qadir

Abizaid, John

Acheson, Dean

Adams, Gerry

Adams, John

Adams, Samuel

Aden

Afghanistan

Afghan casualties

“after-war,”

American intervention

American proxy war in

Americans in, hatred of

American war in

beneficiaries of American arms in

bin Laden and

Britain and

communications

counterinsurgency in

Daoud’s republic

drug trade in

external and internal resistance

First

Afghan War

flight of inhabitants to Pakistan

Fourth

Afghan War

guerrillas or mujahideen

guerrilla warfare in

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insurgents, attacking of fellow inhabitants

insurgency against

British,

Islam in

Khyber Pass

lack of unity among resistance

land and its inhabitants

military technology and terrain

monarchy of

Northern Alliance and Massoud

as part of world Islamic revolution

Polk in

Qandahar and beginnings of modern Afghanistan

Russian withdrawal

Russian casualties

Russian counterinsurgency

Russia in

Russo-

Britain rivalry over Central Asia and

Sayyaf government-in-exile

Second Afghan War

Shah Shuja regime

size of insurgent movement

social organization and culture

Taliban in

Third Afghan war

Wakkan Corridor

warlords

WWI and

xenophobia in

Aguinaldo, Emilio

Ahmad, Eqbal

Algeria

American supplied war matériel

battle of

Algiers

Ben Bella leadership

climate of insurgency

Communist

Party in

concentration camps

conventional warfare

cost of war

counterinsurgency

creation of alternative administration

effect of Dien Bien Phu

empty promises of freedom for

European settlement

European view of people

Evian Accords

execution of terrorists

FLN,

French army recruits

French brutality

French Communist Party and

French conquest and occupation

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French destruction of indigenous culture

French forces, size of

French use of torture

growth of insurgency

guerrilla warfare

insurgent leaders

insurgents, attacking of fellow inhabitants

insurgents’ “nation-in-motion,”

insurgents, number of

internal resistance forces

Islam...