Fighting against Irregular Forces: Afghanistan as  Test Case

dc.creator	Tal Tovy
dc.date	2011-11-01T00:00:00Z
dc.date.accessioned	2015-07-20T20:09:44Z
dc.date.available	2015-07-20T20:09:44Z
dc.identifier	2307-793X
dc.identifier	2307-8634
dc.identifier	https://doaj.org/article/1d5ee9c6413743c7974c45185058ef19
dc.identifier.uri	http://evidence.thinkportal.org/handle/123456789/9245
dc.identifier.uri	https://doaj.org/article/1d5ee9c6413743c7974c45185058ef19
dc.description	America’s involvement in Afghanistan since late 2001 (Operation Enduring Freedom) is an excellent example of the highly problematic nature of ﬁghting against irregular forces in a state with a long history of instability.This essay analyzes the factors behind Afghanistan’s instability and argues that understanding them can explain the political and military difﬁculty in destroying irregular forces that share a strong ideology and operate in a given geographical arena. This essay does not purport to offer solutions or recommendations for action; rather, it claims that the primary and most basic action a state must undertake when embarking on a confrontation with irregular forces in a given geographical setting is to understand the history of the region. Such an understanding will allow it to assess how local history has created a political, social, and economic system that is a convenient base for a guerrilla activity grounded in a ﬁrm ideological base. The essay claims that understanding the area politically, socially, and demographically allows for the formulation of a strategy and varied modi operandi for defeating the guerrilla forces.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	Institute for National Security Studies
dc.relation	http://d26e8pvoto2x3r.cloudfront.net/uploadimages/import/(file)1326273560.pdf
dc.relation	https://doaj.org/toc/2307-793X
dc.relation	https://doaj.org/toc/2307-8634
dc.rights	CC BY
dc.source	Military and Strategic Affairs, Vol 3, Iss 2, Pp 49-60 (2011)
dc.subject	guerilla forces
dc.subject	Afghanistan
dc.subject	United States
dc.subject	Taliban
dc.subject	Pakistan
dc.subject	Vietnam War
dc.subject	Soviet Union
dc.subject	counterinsurgency
dc.subject	COIN
dc.subject	Mao Zadong
dc.subject	ideology
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.subject	DOAJ:Military Science
dc.subject	DOAJ:Technology and Engineering
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.subject	DOAJ:Military Science
dc.subject	DOAJ:Technology and Engineering
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.title	Fighting against Irregular Forces: Afghanistan as Test Case
dc.type	Article