On Other War: Lessons from Five Decades of RAND Counterinsurgency Research [Paperback]

Austin Long (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0833039261 | ISBN-13: 978-0833039262 | Publication Date: July 31, 2006 | Edition: 1

The challenges posed by insurgency and instability have proved difficult to surmount. This difficulty may embolden future opponents to embrace insurgency in combating the United States. Both the current and future conduct of the war on terror demand that the United States improve its ability to conduct counterinsurgency (COIN) operations. This study makes recommendations for improving COIN based on RAND's decades-long study of it.

Editorial Reviews

Review

[An] essential work for any scholar of small wars and counterinsurgency. Long's 'On "Other War"' contains a wealth of information on doctrinal development and two excellent bibliographies of counterinsurgency publications.
Journal of Military History, October 2007


This monograph succinctly summarizes lessons learned again and again in Malaya, Vietnam, Algeria, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and other conflicts in the post-World War Two erra. In six short chapters, Long constructs what is essentially a paradigm for the conduct of counterinsurgency (COIN)... It is of great importance that the lessons summarized in this monograph be incorporated in pre-deployment training so that the actions of US combatants do not become counter-productive to the overall effort (witness the lasting impact of the 2004-2004 Abu Ghraib Prison abuses)... Conventional forces, if they are to be effective in current and future conflict, need to better understand and employ the lessons encapsulated in this book.
Air Power History, Spring 2008

From the Inside Flap

Makes recommendations for improving counterinsurgency, including improved organization, amnesty and reward programs, border security systems, and pacification efforts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 93 pages
• Publisher: Rand Publishing; 1 edition (July 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0833039261
• ISBN-13: 978-0833039262
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,960,523 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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