The routledge handbook of insurgency and counterinsurgency. He retired from active service to continue his agitation as a civilian, and among other things posted this list of best books and a video on amazon. This paper examines one major aspect of that conflict, the attack on the viet cong infrastructure vci, the phoenix program. Insurgencies, guerrilla warfarewhatever we chose to call this type of violence, it is, by far the deadliest threat to those who serve in uniform. Jun 10, 2014 june 10, 2014back in print today is a book that, if youre interested in the phoenix program, is a must read. The phoenix program was a program designed and coordinated by the united states central intelligence agency during the vietnam war, involving cooperation between american, south vietnamese and australian militaries. For some years now, western and other governments have struggled to contend with ideologically driven guerrilla movements, religiously inspired militias, and systematic targeting of civilian populations.
A contemporary analysis of on strategy captain matthew collins, usmc, small wars journal, oct. The other side of the mountain mujahideen tactics in the soviet afghan war. A counter insurgency or counterinsurgency coin is defined by the united states department of state as comprehensive civilian and military efforts taken to simultaneously defeat and contain insurgency and address its root causes. Throughout the program, phoenix neutralized 81,740 people suspected of vc membership, of whom 26,369 were killed. Unbelievable facts and astounding trivia on movies, music, crime, celebrities. Nagl shelved 7 times as counterinsurgency avg rating 3. This new handbook provides a wideranging overview of the current state of academic analysis and debate on insurgency and counterinsurgency, as well as anupto date survey of contemporary insurgent movements and counterinsurgencies. Counterinsurgency has staked its claim in the new century as the new american way of war. Operation phoenix, a major counterinsurgency program being conducted jointly in vietnam by. His final chapter on treating global extremist terrorism as a globallevel insurgency makes sense, as would his suggestions on how to tackle the issue. John prados, author of presidents secret warsthis definitive account of the phoenix program, the us attempt to destroy the viet cong through torture and summary execution, remains sobering reading for all those trying to understand the vietnam war and the. United states national security policy and military strategy.
Foreign internal defense, insurgency, low intensity conflict, divide and rule and fourth generation warfare. Cultural intelligence and counterinsurgency lessons from. Full text of from the ashes of the phoenix lessons for. Cords was complicated by the phoenix program, a controversial and often misunderstood counterinsurgency initiative. The phoenix program and contemporary counterinsurgency rand. Without a clearer understanding of the truth about phoenix and its overall effectiveness, analysts risk drawing flawed conclusions about the programs applicability to contemporary conflicts. Valentine the hotel tacloban counters that claim in this shocking expose of the origins. The academys mission was to give final additional training to the military transition teams mitts before they are assigned to advise the iraqi armed forces classes that were taught included counterinsurgency coin, rules of engagement.
Jun 01, 2015 herrington states that phoenix made good sense conceptually. A counterinsurgency or counterinsurgency coin is defined by the united states department of state as comprehensive civilian and military efforts taken to simultaneously defeat and contain insurgency and address. The american military adventure in iraq, 2003 to 2005. Watch the short documentary on colby and the phoenix program, featuring author randall woods, below. The author makes many useful points that are worth serious pondering. The only difference is the technology being employed.
The phoenix program and contemporary warfare by moyar, mark. Apr 26, 20 it could be said that one of the programs colby started, the phoenix program which was a program of targetted action against vc leaders, is something of a forerunner to our modern drone program. In recent years, and more specifically since the insurgency in ir. Jan 05, 2016 this article is published in the annals of the association of american geographers.
This new handbook provides a wideranging overview of the current state of academic analysis and debate on insurgency and counterinsurgency, as well as anupto date survey of contemporary insurgent movements and counter insurgencies. The phoenix program was a program designed and coordinated by the united states central. Douglas valentine on the phoenix program then and now. Without a clearer understanding of the truth about phoenix and its overall effectiveness, analysts risk drawing flawed conclusions about the program s applicability to contemporary conflicts. Popular counter insurgency books showing 150 of 225 learning to eat soup with a knife. In the mid1990s, the phoenix program was considered an artifact of historical interest but with little relevance to the contemporary world. May 15, 2005 counter insurgency experts are baffled, wondering if the world is seeing the birth of a new kind of insurgency. John prados, author of presidents secret wars this definitive account of the phoenix program, the us attempt to destroy the viet cong through torture and summary execution, remains sobering reading for all those trying to understand the vietnam war and the moral ambiguities of americas cold war victory.
Jun 20, 2011 the phoenix program and contemporary counterinsurgency, santa monica, ca. Phoenix has subsequently become highly controversial, and its lessons for contemporary counterinsurgency can be overdrawn. South vietnamese initiative known as the phung hoang or phoenix program. The new york times bestsellers 2019 book list barnes. How america lost the secret war in north vietnam modern.
John prados, author of presidents secret warsthis definitive account of the phoenix program, the us attempt to destroy the viet cong through torture and summary execution, remains sobering reading for all those trying to understand the vietnam war and the moral ambiguities of americas cold war victory. America formalized the phoenix program in 1967 as a means of addressing just this eventuality. The treatment of detainees at abu ghraib prison in iraq focused worldwide media attention on the us practice of torture. Lessons for contemporary counterinsurgency operations kindle edition by ltc ken tovo. Lessons for contemporary counterinsurgency operations. The cia conceived the phoenix program and acted as advisor to the various american and south vietnamese units involved in its operation. The academys mission was to give final additional training to the military transition teams mitts before they are assigned to advise the iraqi armed forces. John nagl was one of the most respected voices for reforming the us armys approach to counter insurgency. John nagl was one of the most respected voices for reforming the us armys approach to counterinsurgency. Yet, the wars in afghanistan and iraq have revived a historical debate about the costs monetary, political and moral of operations designed to eliminate insurgents and build nations. Modern day advocates of the program argue that it was devastatingly effective, but detractors condemn it as a merciless assassination campaign. A counterinsurgency or counterinsurgency coin is defined by the united states department of state as comprehensive civilian and military efforts taken to simultaneously defeat and contain insurgency and address its root causes an insurgency is a rebellion against a constituted authority when those taking part in the rebellion are not recognized as belligerents. Google scholar, the phoenix program and contemporary counterinsurgency. Developed in 1967 by the cia, the phoenix program, called phung hoang by the vietnamese, aimed a concerted effort to neutralize the vietcong infrastructure vci consisting of south vietnamese civilians suspected of supporting north vietnamese or viet.
A cia operation, the phoenix program aimed at destroying the vietcong infrastructure. The program was designed to identify and destroy the viet cong via infiltration, torture, capture, counterterrorism, interrogation, and assassination. This article suggests that the war on terrorism is actually a campaign against a globalized islamist 1 1 in this article, the term islamist describes the extremist, radical form of political islam practiced by some militant groups, as distinct from islamic, which describes the religion of islam, or muslim, which describes those who follow the islamic religion. Russian soviet unconventional wars in the caucasus, central asia and afghanistan. The phoenix program and the vietnam war john prados. Douglas valentine discusses his recent article inside the cias use of terror during the vietnam war and his book the phoenix program. Anyone can opt into the beta branch and test out the changes, but there are usually very little players on. One of the most widely read books on the iraq war and the subsequent insurgency.
Insurgency counterinsurgency warfare books, please feel free to browse. Counterinsurgency lessons from malaya and vietnam paperback by. The us phoenix program was a secret, large scale counter terrorist effort in vietnam. Phoenix was also advised by the british army officer robert thompson, who had developed counter insurgency against the communists in malaysia. A counter insurgency or counterinsurgency coin operation involves actions taken by the recognized government of a nation to contain or quell an insurgency taken up against it. The phoenix program was one of a number of rural pacification programs designed to gain the hearts and minds of the rural south vietnamese peasant population by eliminating communist control. United states national security policy and military. For much of the book, ricks applies coin theory to chronicle the initial mistakes made by the bush administration, even referencing galula. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading from the ashes of the phoenix.
This encyclopedia examines insurgenciesand the counterinsurgency efforts they promptthrough history, addressing military actions and the techniques and technologies employed in each conflict, significant insurgency leaders, and the leading theorists, with emphasis on the small wars of the 20th century and most recent decades. Altruistic world online library view topic the phoenix. The phoenix program and contemporary counterinsurgency. The iraq assistance group iag, was in charge of the academy. The phoenix program and contemporary counterinsurgency, santa monica, ca. Jan 01, 2010 a book that takes a pragmatic look at counter insurgency. New 1 minute video about origins of modern science and technology. Discover the best counter insurgency books and audiobooks. I therefore analyzed the program primarily from a historians perspective in the first edition of phoenix and the birds of prey, making few references to the present or future.
Dec 01, 2007 in the mid1990s, the phoenix program was considered an artifact of historical interest but with little relevance to the contemporary world. Mwi nonresident fellow has gathered a broad collection of books that, together, help to conceptualize the many challenges posed by insurgencies. Since the middle of the 20th century, intrastate conflict has become the prevailing form of warfare worldwide. Read counter insurgency books like otto skorzeny and eye of the storm for free with a free 30day trial. The phoenix program and contemporary warfare by moyar. Insurgency based irregular warfare typifies armed conflict in the postcold war age. Up to 20 books are listed, in descending order of popularity at this site. The authors provide a fresh assessment of operations against the viet cong underground during the vietnam war and suggest lessons for contemporary. Insurgencybased irregular warfare typifies armed conflict in the postcold war age.
Learn from counter insurgency experts like stuart smith and peter ratcliffe. As this study notes, according to the cia, antiinfrastructure operations including those carried out by the prus, the national police, and allied conventional military units were. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. This paper argues that as part of its counterinsurgency effort against this. Aug 05, 2012 the us phoenix program was a secret, large scale counter terrorist effort in vietnam. Young adult fiction juvenile fiction television programs insurgency science fiction contests survival interpersonal relations. In the main, the insurgents seek to destroy or erase the political authority of the defending authorities in a population they seek to control, and the counter insurgent forces seek to protect that authority and reduce. Steam community guide the complete insurgency guide.
Army center of military history, where he is writing the official history of army combat operations in vietnam, 196973. The violent geographies of the vietnam war and the rise of drone warfare. Understanding the environment for contemporary warfare. The beta branch of insurgency is used to test out new additions or changes to the game before an official update. For some contemporary counterinsurgency enthusiasts, the phoenix program represents a highwater mark in terms of u. Modernday advocates of the program argue that it was devastatingly effective, but detractors condemn it as a merciless assassination campaign.
Counterinsurgency and counterterrorism in vietnam bison books ed edition. Targets could thus be generated from a variety of sources, and crosschecked. It will provide the historical context and an overview of the phoenix program, describe the contemporary insurgency threat, and analyze strategic lessons for contemporary counterinsurgency operations. The phoenix program in vietnam schiffer book for collectors. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. A book that takes a pragmatic look at counterinsurgency. The developers hold testing events every once and a while for players to give them some feedback, and help test out stability. Insurgency counterinsurgency warfare books military press. Counterinsurgency experts are baffled, wondering if the world is seeing the birth of a new kind of insurgency. The cia described it as a set of programs that sought to attack and destroy the political infrastructure of the viet cong. Colby tried to persuade the johnson administration to turn away from conventional warfare and to embrace a counterinsurgency strategy as the only means to win the hearts and minds in south vietnam.
Underlying such a practice was not only a selfserving debate in us political circles, academia and entertainment media on how a liberal democracy could justify such methods but also a history of counterinsurgency techniques which owed much to french. Herrington states that phoenix made good sense conceptually. The phoenix program was premised on the idea that infiltration had required local support from noncombat civilian populations, which were referred to as the political branch that had purportedly coordinated the insurgency. However, a careful assessment of phoenix does provide some suggestions for improving current efforts against insurgent infrastructure. In their opinion, phoenix was a tar geted, coordinated, lowcost interagency effort that had a crushing effect on a ruthless and elu sive adversary. This study explodes prevailing myths about the phoenix program, the cias. Former phoenix and cia director william colby contended in his book lost victory that the programs reputation for brutality is undeserved. The phoenix academy is located on an iraqi army base in taji, iraq. Fridays real history segment on real news is about bill colby, a major figure in the cia who was assigned to vietnam in 1959 and throughout the war.
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