Be the first to ask a question about The Accidental Guerrilla. The US Army advisor does not limit himself to an assessment of counterinsurgency tactics, however. or that we would overreach and collapse 273ff / US national interest must consider the protection of our democratic, open society as an element 274 / too much attn on terror 276 / we need a frank and open dialog about the real risk of terror, and a cost-benefit anlys of our misdirected attn on it 276-7 / US has limits – we should examine them 280-1 / Powell doctrine stinks 281-3 / try this instead: lightest footprint possible, use local proxies as much as possible, use civil agencies rather than military forces, plan for long-term and low-profile rather than short-term and high-profile engagements 283 / 10 deductions about the hybrid war environment: protracted, requires a moderate national mobilization, must distinguish between enemies, sparing use of military force, limit government agencies (favor private sector), be indirect, DImE, emphasize virtue and morality and credibility, reduce conventional and increase unconventional force structure, and economize 283-7 / two key mission sets: strategic disruption and military assistance 288-9 / our intel structure is designed with the nation-state as the target set – corporate espionage techniques might work better 293 / US dinosaur might get beat by adaptable but smaller insurgent mammals 294 / refocus on the grand strategy 296-7 / DoD gets too great a share of the budget 298 / SOF are “special”; OSS was “strategic” – we need a new OSS 299. He then moves on to Europe to explore how best to understand (and engage) disconnected Muslim communities. The book ends with the author's experiences in Timor showing that the Accidental Guerilla syndrome is a tactic that has been used outside the Islamic world and which can be dealt with successfully, although the example falls a little flat as Timor appears far less virulent than the problems the world now faces in Afghanistan, Yemen and other places. Kilcullen meanders from Iraq to Afghanistan to Timor to Thailand, stuttering and stopping to share insights on counterinsurgency best (and worst) practices. Quite an insightful book which draws on field experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq to articulate the theory of the 'accidental guerilla' , and also backs up his view that the current conflict in the world is inter-related and cannot rely on military solutions alone. His recommendations and conclusions should be examined by policy makers on all levels. This observation, however, is only normal given the rapidly changing strategic landscape and the evolution of events. The problem is in the details--sure, the local el. Then there is Kilcullen the scholar, presenting his own grand theory of insurgency and prescribing a set of “best practices” to which counterinsurgents should adhere. While this seems like a pretty obvious conclusion to me, its refreshing to hear from a military of. “My personal position on counterinsurgency in general, and on Iraq and Afghanistan in particular, could therefore be summarized as "Never again, but..." That is, we should avoid any future large-scale, unilateral military intervention in the Islamic world, for all the reasons already discussed. David Kilcullen's is definitely worth reading if you are interested in getting one expert's perspective on how western societies should deal with terrorism for the next fifty to one hundred years. In the end, I loved the book - although very academic and you have to wade through Dave's barely disguised self praise at times. David Kilcullen is one of the world's most influential experts on counterinsurgency and modern warfare, a ground-breaking theorist whose ideas "are revolutionizing military thinking throughout the west" (Washington Post). He is one of the Ph.D.s in General Petraeus' brain trust that was assembled to implement the new counter-insurgency strategy put in place to save the US from defeat in the second Iraq War -- the "surge". by Oxford University Press, Inc. Indeed, they may already be familiar with David Kilcullen's reputation as a … And should we find ourselves (by error or necessity) in a similar position once again, then the best practices we have rediscovered in current campaigns represent an effective approach: effective, but not recommended.”, “Some terrorism analysts have seen the southern insurgency as an Islamic jihad that forms part of the broader network of AQ-linked extremism, with Islamic theology and religious aspirations (for shari’a law or an Islamic emirate) as a key motivator.73 This surface impression is reinforced by the facts that the violence is led by ustadz74 and other religious teachers, that the mosques and ponoh (Islamic schools) have a central role as recruiting and training bases, and that militants repeatedly state that they are fighting a legitimate defensive jihad against the encroachment of the kafir (infidel) Buddhist Thai government. A hardcore group of Bin Ladenist revolutionaries has found ways to hide out in traditional tribal networks whose cultures are based on providing hospitality to guests in danger. Still, his main point, about how precarious the balance of loyalty can be--do the locals shoot at us or join us in "protecting" them--is fascinating and revelatory. The Accidental Guerrilla by David Kilcullen. The US Army advisor does not limit himself to an assessment of c. The Accidental Guerrilla is indeed not an easy read, but is rich with the life experience and thoughtful analysis of one of the world's foremost counterinsurgency experts. There is much in this book that I like and admire but having spent a little time looking at some of the more critical reviews of this book I cannot give it five stars or praise it without mentioning criticisms. Pdf ebook: The Accidental Guerrilla Pdf download ebook The Accidental Guerrilla. I just bought his next book "Counterinsurgency" and can't wait to read it. So, on one level, Kilcullen is absolutely right--21st century extremism is NOT a malevolent, monolithic array of "others" out to get the US. His proposed solutions make sense and are food for thought. But, recognizing that while our conventional war-fighting superiority endures, any sensible enemy will choose to fight us in this manner, we should hold on to the knowledge and corporate memory so painfully acquired, across all the agencies of all the Coalition partners, in Afghanistan and Iraq. I gave this one four stars since I disliked the Accidental Guerrilla aspect of all the discussion. Lawrence evoked the means of waging irregular warfare in his 1926 classic, 'Seven Pillars of Wisdom', Mr. Kilcullen describes the practitioner's art of combating insurgents. The central thesis is that the United States is fighting many people around the world who are simply at war with them because they have intruded on their territory, thus making them "accidental guerillas." 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