Victorious Insurgencies: Four Rebellions that Shaped Our World - Hardcover

Joes, Anthony James

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0813126142 ISBN 13: 9780813126142

Publisher: University Press of Kentucky, 2010

Synopsis

Insurgencies, especially in the form of guerrilla warfare, continue to erupt across many parts of the globe. Most of these rebellions fail, but Four Rebellions that Shaped Our World analyzes four twentieth-century conflicts in which the success of the insurgents permanently altered the global political arena: the Maoists in China against Chiang Kai-shek and the Japanese in the 1930s and 1940s; the Viet Minh in French Indochina from 1945 to 1954; Castro's followers against Batista in Cuba from 1956 to 1959; and the mujahideen in Soviet Afghanistan from 1980 to 1989.

Anthony James Joes illuminates patterns of failed counterinsurgencies that include serious but avoidable political and military blunders and makes clear the critical and often decisive influence of the international setting. Offering provocative insights and timeless lessons applicable to contemporary conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, this authoritative and comprehensive book will be of great interest to policy-makers and concerned citizens alike.

About this title

About the Author

Anthony James Joes, professor of political science at Saint Joseph's University, is the author of Urban Guerrilla Warfare, Resisting Rebellion: The History and Politics of Counterinsurgency, America and Guerrilla Warfare, and many other books.

Review

"An excellent book that takes four case studies of insurgency in the twentieth century and offers a concise and nuanced analysis as to why they succeeded." ―Alastair Finlan, author of Special Forces, Strategy, and the War on Terror: Warfare by Other Means"

"Professor Joes' international reputation as an astute analyst of revolutionary politics is reconfirmed by his latest work, Victorious Insurgencies: Four Rebellions that Shaped our World. The work is well crafted and insightful, and it affords a rare level of comprehension to intelligent laypersons, as well as recommendations to those responsible for counterinsurgency policy. The volume is highly recommended."―A. James Gregor, author of Marxism, Fascism, and Totalitarianism: Chapters in the Intellectual History of Radicalism"

"After nine years of futile war in Afghanistan, Joes' insightful and cautionary Victorious Insurgencies is long overdue."―Jeffrey Record, author of Wanting War: Why the Bush Administration Invaded Iraq"

"Provacative, stimulating, and often convincingly revisionist, this is a most useful work."― Choice"

"[This book] pinpoints military and political blunders made by counterinsurgent forces that cost them vistoroy, and considers [the] influence of international communities on events. College-level and military holdings will consider this a fine analysis!"―The Midwest Book Review"

"Teachers will profit from reading [this] book."―Teaching History"

"In Victorious Insurgencies, Anthony James Joes examines four conflicts in which guerrillas exploited population grievances, counterinsurgents made mistakes, and foreign actors presented opportunities to defeat counter insurgents. The book's primary contribution is that it porvides the historical context missing in many cursory examinations." ― Military Review"

"A superb textbook for anyone―student, teacher, or specialist―who would learn from the historical record what makes some insurgencies successful and what factors rendered the ruling regimes unable to overcome them."―Parameters"

"...rather an interesting counterpoint to the surge of literature arguing for the superiority of insurgency in the modern world...his narrative is sprinkled with clever phrasing that makes for a read that is anything but dull."―Brian R. Price, Journal of Military History

About this edition

• Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0813126142
• ISBN 13: 9780813126142
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 336