Iraq and the Challenge of Counterinsurgency

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Thomas R. Mockaitis

Book Code: C9947

ISBN: 0-275-99947-5

ISBN-13: 978-0-275-99947-6

DOI:

208 pages, figures, maps

Praeger Security International General Interest-Cloth

Publication: 5/30/2008

List Price: $39.95 (UK Sterling Price: £22.95)

Availability: In Stock

Media Type: Hardcover

Also Available: Ebook

Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4

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Endorsement From Colonel Christopher Holshek,
U.S. Army, Civil Affairs: Thomas Mockaitis's analysis places the question of continued U.S. engagement in Iraq into the historical and strategic context in which it belongs. It is must reading for anyone in a leadership or staff position grappling with the difficult and complex national security issues of our time. Most of all, it should be read by our elected officials, most of whom have little or no foreign policy or national security experience.
Endorsement From Lieutenant Colonel Rod A. Coffey, U.S. Army: Iraq and the Challenge of Counterinsurgency successfully weaves together issues of counterinsurgency doctrine in the U.S. military, the politics of the global war on terror, and the history of the war in Iraq as it is currently understood. While no one with an opinion on these issues will agree with all of Tom Mockaitis's conclusions, there is no better single volume analyiss of the topics addressed.
Endorsement From General David L. Grange,
USA (Ret) now President and CEO, McCormick Tribune Foundation: Mockaitis grasps the dominance of unconventional warfare in the 21st century and illustrates the lack of understanding and acceptance of this fact by America's military culture and political system. He explains how our "western way" of war prevails up to, and including, the current conflict in Iraq. His analysis is compelling--that the U.S. must adapt to the kind of conflict we find on the ground, not try to fight what we wish it to be to the detriment of time, loss of life, and mission success. A must-read for those in conflict, those prosecuting war, and advocates of national security preparedness.

Description: Mockaitis begins by providing a working definition of counterinsurgency that distinguishes it from conventional war while discussing the insurgents' uses of terror as a method to support their broader strategy of gaining control of a country. Insurgent movements, he notes, use terror far more selectively than do terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda, which kills indiscriminately and is more than willing to produce mass casualties. Such methods stand in stark contrast to the American approach to armed conflict, which is more ideally suited to pragmatic culture leery of involvement in protracted foreign wars and demands immediate results. Within this context, Mocktaitis examines the conflict in Iraq, from post conflict troubles with Saddam in the early 1990s, to pre-invasion planning in 2003. He then moves into a discussion of the rise of insurgent movements and the challenges they posed in the aftermath of the fighting, tracing the ongoing efforts to shape a doctrine that allows US forces to successfully deal with the growing insurgency The U.S. military in Iraq faces the most complex counterinsurgency campaign in its history and perhaps the history of modern warfare. At the outset, it confronted as many as 22 different domestic insurgent and foreign terrorist groups in an environment made more difficult by thousands of criminals released by Saddam Hussein. Over the past three years, the conflict has evolved with growing ethnic violence complicating an already difficult security situation. Even the most optimistic assessments predict a continued deployment of significant U.S. forces for at least five years for the country to be stabilized. It remains to be seen whether public opinion will support such a deployment. Mockaitis situates the Iraq War in its broad historical and cultural context. He argues that failure to prepare for counterinsurgency in the decades following the end of the Vietnam War left the U.S. military ill equipped to handle irregular warfare in the streets of Baghdad. Lack of preparation and inadequate troop strength led American forces to adopt a conventional approach to unconventional war. Over-reliance on firepower combined with cultural insensitivity to alienate many Iraqis. However, during the first frustrating year of occupation, U.S. forces revised their approach, relearning lessons from past counterinsurgency campaigns and adapting them to the new situation. By the end of 2004, they had developed an effective strategy and tactics but continued to be hampered by troop shortages, compounded by the unreliability of many Iraqi police and military units. The Army's new doctrine, embodied in FM 3-24 Counterinsurgency, outlines the correct approach to winning Iraq. However, three years of desultory conflict amid ongoing revelations that the premises upon which the administration argued the need for invading Iraq may be false have eroded support for the war. The American armed forces may soon find themselves in the unfortunate situation of having found a formula for success at almost the same time the voters demand withdrawal.

Table of Contents:

Old Lessons for a New War
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
Chapter 1. The Nature of the Beast
Chapter 2. The American Way of War
Chapter 3. Iraq in Context
Chapter 4. From Shock and Awe to Clear and Hold
Chapter 5. The Lost Year
Chapter 6. Getting it Right
Conclusions: Prospects, Possibilities, and Lessons to be Learned
Bibliography

LC Card Number: 2008007850

LCC Class: U241

Dewey Class: 956

PDF Catalogs:
Academic Library Spring 2008.pdf


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