![Small Wars, Big Data: The Information Revolution in Modern Conflict by [Berman, Eli, Felter, Joseph H., Shapiro, Jacob N.]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Kzq9nbBmL._SY346_.jpg)
The hardback that I got is 328 pages excluding footnotes. It's not a light read. The authors, all ex-military, and now scholars on military matters, work hard to apply statistical analysis to the now considerable and ever growing data from asymmetrical wars. If the thought of statistics causes your eyes to glaze over, don't buy this book. If you're interested in getting a deeper understanding of asymmetric war using careful research and statistics, then this book is for you.
Asymmetric wars are increasingly the wars that we fight. (Economic wars are another type, but other books will have to address this type of conflict.) The authors argue "Know the type of war you're in." Not all asymmetric wars are the same; not all theaters of war in an asymmetric war are the same. The book considers a range of types of conflicts, looks at various strategies that work or not, evaluates the research that's applicable and forms theories of what might work. The authors postulate an information-centric model and then statistically test this model in a number of conflicts. The authors believe that the information-centric model works well in many conflicts, but show a few limits to the theory as well.
While much of the book focuses on Iraq, and Afghanistan, conflicts in the Philippines, Africa, and South America also merit considerations. The battle for "hearts and minds" studied carefully offers only the most elusive of hope as a useful strategy. Another book, also written by a warrior, The Counterinsurgency Challenge by Christopher Kolenda finds shortcomings in the "hearts and minds" strategy for victory. Small Wars, Big Data suggests that leasing "hearts and minds" may offer about as much hope as is realistic.
Oddly enough, one tactic that may offer some help in a conflict involves installing and maintaining a functioning cell phone system available to the citizen populace. Killing unarmed civilians is guaranteed to cause any combatant trouble, but cell phone service, either enhancing or destroying, may be a close runner up in an effort to lease hearts and minds.
The authors have a second agenda, in my opinion, and that is to encourage further research into the data arising from warfare. They make a good argument for more research. The book is written well, but it slogs through the methodology used by the authors to develop and analyze the data which they use for their sometimes tentative conclusions. Nonetheless, if the subject matter interests you, I recommend the book and commend the authors for their efforts to focus on this topic in the hope that other, younger scholars will pursue the area in the future. Doing so in the hope that the loss of lives, both civilian and military, may be reduced is always a worthy mission.
- File Size: 11442 KB
- Print Length: 408 pages
- Publisher: Princeton University Press (June 12, 2018)
- Publication Date: June 12, 2018
- Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC
- Language: English
- ASIN: B078SHYNSR
- Text-to-Speech:
Enabled
- Word Wise: Enabled
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #150,430 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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