War of the Running Dogs: Malaya, 1948-1960 [Paperback]

Noel Barber (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2007 | Series: Cassell Military Paperbacks

Only three short years after the end of the Japanese occupation, war came again to Malaya. The Chinese-backed guerrillas called it the War of the Running Dogs - their contemptuous term for those in Malaya who remained loyal to the British. The British Government referred to this bloody and costly struggle as the 'Malayan Emergency'. Yet it was a war that lasted twelve years and cost thousands of lives.

By the time it was over Malaya had obtained its independence - but on British, not on Chinese or Communist terms. Here is the war as it was. Here are the planters and their wives on their remote rubber estates, the policemen, the generals and the soldiers, the Malays, Chinese and Indians of a polyglot country, all fighting an astute, ruthless, and well organized enemy.

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About the Author

Bestselling author of Tanamera

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Cassell (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0304366714
• ISBN-13: 978-0304366712
• Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 5 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #495,327 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rare Insite in a Fogotten War, July 31, 2008

By 

Runamuck (USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: War of the Running Dogs: Malaya, 1948-1960 (Paperback)

I was hesitant about purchasing this book but there really is nothing out there on the Malayan insurgency. What makes this even worse is that this is the most often cited counter-insurgency success, and there is nothing written about it. So unfortunately there seems to be no one that knows why it was a success. Here is where this book comes into play, and a good reason to purchase the book.

The book does a wonderful job on breaking down all the players in this war, what they did and why. He also looks at the different ethnicities and their motivations for supporting the Communists or British. I have to disagree with the other reviewer this book was a wonderful read and not boring at all, even for a history book. I found myself wanting to know what was going to happen next (i.e. it was addictive to read).

On the negatives, this book was written in the '60's (so a little dated), and it is written with an nostalgia tone of the old imperial Britain and its greatness. It ruffled my feathers a bit in the begging but later he tries to correct this tone and for the time period the author really goes out of his to make a case for the other people that were living in this country at the time, their plight and living standards.

Overall this book does a wonderful job showing why the counterinsurgency in Malaysia was a success. It is unfortunate the circumstances that brought this book back into circulation, but it is a forgotten work that deserves to be recognized for its contribution to the counterinsurgency, insurgency, terrorism and Malayan history. A very good read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars IN GUERRILLA WAR, POLITICAL SUPERIORITY DEFEATS MILITARY SUPERIORITY, April 18, 2009

By 

Mark Hawkins (Santa Fe, New Mexico USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: War of the Running Dogs: Malaya, 1948-1960 (Paperback)

Noel Barber's fantastic book, one
of the absolute best on counterinsurgency,
ever, is a profound explication of one of the
historical truths of guerrilla war:
In guerrilla war, political superiority defeats military superiority.
The Chinese communists never could have prevailed--the Brits forged
a strategy for victory in guerrilla war in Malaya from day one
that reinforced the already-formidable political power which the
Malay Muslims had from jumpstreet.

The many bold, pragmatic lessons won in blood in Malaya from 1948-1960
are laid out left, right and center in this great book, which should
be required reading at West Point, the US Naval Academy, the US Air Force
Academy, the Coast Guard Academy, and at every war college.

It is also just a damn fine read, and would be a welcome addition to any
History Department and English Department, worldwide. Bravo, Noel Barber.

long life and blue skies,
Mike Tucker
Counterterrorism Specialist and Author
Logar, Afghanistan 18 April, 2009

21 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Required reading if you want to defend your democracy from a terrorist driven insurgency, January 1, 2006

By 

Freeman "The last bastion of freedom is insid... (Kabul, Afghanistan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: War of the Running Dogs: Malaya, 1948-1960 (Paperback)

First published in 1971 (the year of my birth), The War of the Running Dogs is a history of the battle between communist insurgents in Malaya and the British government of the time. The timeline of the book runs from 1948-1960.

The text is dry, to say the least, which made the book less than palatable to me. I had a hard time reading this book, but felt that it was an important piece of history that I should digest.

I was right. Many of the ideas expressed by administrators and progenitors of The War of the Running Dogs are still in use today. A perfect example of this is found on page 179 when author Noel Barber discusses a slogan that became famous during the war, "The battle for the hearts and minds of the people."

It is a slogan I've heard bandied about more than once during my own war here in Iraq.
One of the central characters in War of the Running Dogs is Bob Thompson, a highly placed government administrator who comes up with the idea that common people should be able to receive tours of how the war is being conducted. The idea is a very successful one - one that should work again and again throughout the ages. Modern wars are won or lost now based on public opinion more than any other single factor.

Often times, this book is less of a war novel than it is an ode to competent bureaucracy. While bureaucracy is a necessary evil, it isn't a glamorous thing, and I find reading about the exploits of bureaucrats rather boring. On the other hand, the struggle between colonial imperialism leading to a form of capitalism versus communism leading who knows where is historically significant.

The War of the Running Dogs reiterates a point that has been made personally clear to me in recent years - while I might have disagreements with the government in charge, I certainly wouldn't want to trade it for a bunch of murdering thugs who don't even pretend to care about rule of law. Terrorism is not a valid or morally sound form of political expression, and is not a realistic method of toppling a government unless it can maintain popular support from a large majority of the citizenry.

The Communist terrorists in Malaya fail on many levels by combining wanton brutality with bribery, blackmail and bombastic bamboozlers as representatives. This makes it almost impossible for the British government working in conjunction with Malayan sultans and Chinese locals to fail.

Both the insurgents and the reigning bureaucrats promise independence for the nation and in the end, British bureaucracy wins the day. One point that author keeps reiterating is that the British masterstroke was insisting on civilian rule even in wartime (this despite the fact that Churchill chooses a general to run the war).

In the end, the war was won largely because the British offered a better more benevolent method of rule than their would be competitors who time and again proved that they would resort to brutality and horrific acts of violence against the general population of Malaya in order to try and achieve power.

The same cycle seems to be playing out again here in Iraq. The most interesting aspect of War of the Running Dogs has been the parallels between what happened 50 years ago and what is happening now while I watch and participate.

Dry reading, but historically significant, The War of the Running Dogs will appeal to history buffs and government administrators but not many others.