At 03:39 PM 1/30/2001 -0500, you wrote:
>> And let's remember, there has been only one or two successful counter
>insurgency wars in all the military history that I am aware of.
>
>How about, just what comes to mind ...
>The British in Malaya and Kenya in this century.
Malaya is one, I agree.
Kenya I am unfamiliar with, I am afraid. Can you simply cite me a source to
see, and a date?
>The US conquest of sundry Native American peoples.
I don't count this as the saem thing at all, especially since a vastly
superior technology but especially disease were so influential.
>The Albigensian Crusade.
I wouldn't count it since it was nobles versus nobles, and sure the people
resisted for a while, but will grant it anyway.
>Many, many revolts suppressed by medieval rulers.
I wouldn't count those either since they were small local operations and a
certain size of rebellion is necessary.
BUT, even if we grant all the above to be cases that did work, they still are a tiny minority compared to those which have failed.
>The issue is complicated because in modern times you can almost never
>completely eliminate an insurgent force. Most states these days are not
>willing to go to the extremes of mass deportation or genocide that would
>have been used in ancient times.
Powered by hypermail