Strategy Not Sacrilege: State Terrorism as an Element of Foreign Policy
Relying on case studies of Pakistan and the U.S., this essay argues that the state’s use of terrorism be more fully integrated into the study of foreign policy.
Review – Economy of Force
Owens has created the space for a truly critical intervention in our understanding of war, helping us to move from a ‘critical war studies’ to a ‘critique of war’.
Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and the Future of Peruvian Security
While the campaign focused on rising criminality and the economy, Peru’s counterinsurgency efforts in the Valley of the Rivers received scant attention
Review – The Theory and Practice of Irregular Warfare
Mumford & Reis’ edited volume is something that needed to be written. Despite some shortcomings, it makes interesting reading for theorists, historians and policymakers.
Masculine Rivalries and Security: The US and UK in Iraq and Afghanistan
The UK and US constructed their masculine identities in relation to each other in Iraq and Afghanistan. This rivalry has implications for achieving security.
The Perils of Simultaneous COIN and Counternarcotics in Peru and Colombia
Simultaneously pursuing COIN and CN operations is an ineffective way of combating insurgent violence fueled by narco-funding in Peru and Colombia.
Review – Anatomy of a Bad Idea: COIN Best Practices
Nearly every question about how the U.S. Army came to be entangled in wars it knew better than to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan are answered by three excellent and complementary books.
The Truth About Human Terrain Teams: An Evidence-Based Response to Gian Gentile
The lessons to be learnt from HTT’s are important and should be studied because the past decade of war demands nothing less than our best to ensure the same mistakes are not repeated.
Review – Treading on Hallowed Ground
Inspired by the much-commented on resurgence of religion in IR, the contributors of this volume see something unusual about counterinsurgency operations when hallowed ground is involved.
An Open Rebuttal to Gian Gentile’s Article on Counterinsurgency
Gian Gentile’s article on COIN ignores literature that weigh stability and combat operations equally. The key failure of COIN has been not understanding how to integrate the multiple levels required.
