The accidental guerrilla
by David Kilcullen · first published 2009
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From the Publisher: David Kilcullen is one of the world's most influential experts on counterinsurgency and modern warfare. A Senior Counterinsurgency Advisor to General David Petraeus in Iraq, his vision of war dramatically influenced America's decision to rethink its military strategy in Iraq and implement "the surge." Now, in The Accidental Guerrilla, Kilcullen provides a remarkably fresh perspective on the War on Terror. Kilcullen takes us "on the ground" to uncover the face of modern warfare, illuminating both the big global war (the "War on Terrorism") and its relation to the associated
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I'm a big fan of The Accidental Guerrilla. I went through a big counter insurgency phase about seven years ago. That book and The Gamble by Ricks were my favorites.
on “Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?” ↗…at the Ends of the Earth about how the CIA shifted towards more targeting operations and the military shifted to more intelligence gathering and how that has blurred the lines between the two. And The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One about how insurgencies work, how local people are recruited and coopted by globally minded jihadists using local problems, and how a counter insurgency operation…
on “Who Are the Taliban?” ↗…Schlender (after reading Isaacson's Jobs' bio I figured another perspective wouldn't be horrible) - Countdown to Zero Day - Kim Zetter (RE: Stuxnet and cyber-espionage) And finally, I'm re-reading The Accidental Guerrilla by David Kilcullen (something of a social science approach to "Why do rebels/guerrillas/terrorists exist?")
on “Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?” ↗