http://www.david-ucko.com Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:44:47 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Jonathan D. Caverley has quite an interesting piece on Vietnam and what it really says about counterinsurgency in the latest issue of International Security. Consider this another sequel to Andrew Krepinevich’s study, The Army and Vietnam. Krepinevich made the argument that ‘Big Army’ was unable and unwilling ... http://www.david-ucko.com/iraq/from-kow-bad-coin-wins-votes-apparently.html I am sure many KoW readers also read Abu Muqawama, but let me nonetheless draw your attention to the video linked there this morning, a compilation of CCTV and security-camera footage from the murder of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh. The video reminds me of something from Spooks, or, like AM says, Munich, but ... http://www.david-ucko.com/video/from-kow-video-the-assassination-of-mahmoud-al-mabhouh.html The first volume, first issue (rare, that) of Prism, the journal of the Center for Complex Operations, has been out for some time but features some articles with long shelf lives. Consider, for example, Hans Binnendijk and Patrick Cronin's article on the dangers of militarising U.S. foreign policy, where they ... http://www.david-ucko.com/us-military/from-kow-militarising-foreign-policy-what-are-the-alternatives.html So many things about this short film, 'Malaya Patrol', are just classic, from the tea-drinking in the 90 degree jungle, to the 1950s' stern narration of 'bandits' and 'red terrorists'. Still the mention of '15 month tours in the jungle' should give pause. All in all, things sure have changed... [For ... http://www.david-ucko.com/coin/malaya-patrol.html Stéphane Taillat, of the En Vérité blog, and Georges-Henri Brivet des Vallons have helped compiled the latest issue of Sécurité Globale, which focuses in part on counterinsurgency and irregular warfare. The issue brings together English- and French-speaking researchers on these topic, including Michel Goya, whose piece on Afghanistan and the ... http://www.david-ucko.com/coin/securite-globale-tackles-coin.html A copy of a draft version of the 2010 QDR was leaked last week via Inside Defense (you can read the whole document over at Small Wars Journal). As the real thing is expected next week, I have only given this draft a cursory read, focusing specifically on the provisions intended ... http://www.david-ucko.com/force-structure/2010-qdr.html I am normally deeply sceptical of any report that appears to sell a technological fix to the deep complexities of counterinsurgency and stability operations, but I am going to make an important exception to that rule to bring attention to this recent RAND publication on non-lethal technology. Cleverly entitled ‘Underkill’ ... http://www.david-ucko.com/coin/set-your-weapons-on-stun.html The latest issue of the Journal of Military History contains, among a great many things, a review I wrote of Mark Moyar's latest book, A Question of Command: Counterinsurgency from the Civil War to Iraq (Yale University Press). Given the amount of discussion of Moyar's book online (here, here, and ... http://www.david-ucko.com/coin/book-review-mark-moyars-a-question-of-command.html Sean Naylor has a lengthy piece in the Army Times on the conduct of counterinsurgency operations in the Arghandab River Valley, Afghanistan. The piece is extremely interesting because it hints at the lack of agreement across rank as to what counterinsurgency entails or should look like. In this case, you ... http://www.david-ucko.com/coin/u-s-coin-ops-in-the-arghandab-river-valley.html This story in the Washington Post today, "Pakistan's Zardari resists U.S. timeline for fighting insurgents", provides a clear indication of why the Pakistan piece of the new Afghan strategy is likely to be such a headache and is very much worth the read. It complements an article I came across earlier ... http://www.david-ucko.com/afghanistan/the-role-of-pakistan.html