A Question of Command: Counterinsurgency from the Civil War to Iraq (Yale Library of Military History) - Softcover

Moyar, Mark

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0300168071 ISBN 13: 9780300168075

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2010

Synopsis

An argument for a dramatically different approach to counterinsurgency, based on a reinterpretation of the nature of counterinsurgency warfare.

According to the prevailing view of counterinsurgency, the key to defeating insurgents is selecting methods that will win the people’s hearts and minds. The hearts-and-minds theory permeates not only most counterinsurgency books of the twenty-first century but  the U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual, the U.S. military’s foremost text on counterinsurgency. Mark Moyar assails this conventional wisdom, asserting that the key to counterinsurgency is selecting commanders who have superior leadership abilities. Whereas the hearts-and-minds school recommends allocating much labor and treasure to economic, social, and political reforms, Moyar advocates concentrating resources on security, civil administration, and leadership development.

Moyar presents a wide-ranging history of counterinsurgency, from the Civil War and Reconstruction to Afghanistan and Iraq, that draws on the historical record and interviews with hundreds of counterinsurgency veterans, including top leaders in today’s armed forces. Through a series of case studies, Moyar identifies the ten critical attributes of counterinsurgency leadership and reveals why these attributes have been much more prevalent in some organizations than others. He explains how the U.S. military and America’s allies in Afghanistan and Iraq should revamp their personnel systems in order to elevate more individuals with those attributes.

A Question of Command will reshape the study and practice of counterinsurgency warfare. With counterinsurgency now one of the most pressing issues facing the United States, this book is a must-read for policymakers, military officers, and citizens.

About this title

About the Author

Mark Moyar is director of research at Orbis Operations and the author of Triumph Forsaken: The Vietnam War, 1954–1965 and Phoenix and the Birds of Prey: Counterinsurgency and Counterterrorism in Vietnam.

Review

"It is rare to read a book which combines academic excellence with such timely advice on a question of national importance.... [Moyar's] perceptive analysis will have enduring value on both sides of the Atlantic for military commanders, policy-makers and historians alike." - General Sir David Richards, RUSI Journal

"Moyar's study of Vietnam -- Triumph Forsaken -- is becoming a classic in counterinsurgency circles. His new case studies -- A Question of Command -- are making it to the desks of top military decision makers." - George Stephanopoulos, ABC News
"By distancing himself from self-professed experts capable only of regurgitating thoughts and assertions made earlier and better... Moyar has done the impossible and provided a third course of action to all counterinsurgency professionals and practitioners." - Adam Strickland, Small Wars Journal

"has attracted considerable attention in counterinsurgent circles.... now part of the curriculum in courses in Kabul." - C. J. Chivers, New York Times


"In this important, well-written, and solidly researched work, respected historian Moyar adds to his impressive record of publication a thoughtful contribution to the counterinsurgency debate.... There is so much that scholars, military personnel, and policy makers can learn from this study." - J. B. Cook, Choice

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0300168071
• ISBN 13: 9780300168075
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 368