Who is the enemy? This is the question most asked in modern warfare; gone are the staged battles of the past. Twentieth and twenty-first century conflict is dominated by counterinsurgency operations, where the enemy is almost indistinguishable from innocent civilians. Battles are gunfights in jungles, deserts and streets; winning 'hearts and minds' is as important as winning territory. From our struggles in Ireland, to the Malayan Emergency, operations in India, Yemen, Kenya, Aden, Palestine, and of course Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan - this book covers the strategy and doctrine of counterinsurgency.

Preface : the Guerilla threat -- Introduction : the Changing nature of counterinsurgency since 1899 -- Terrorism and brutality : the German counterinsurgency experience, 1900-45 -- The last to leave : the Portuguese experience, 1961-74 -- State terrorism : the Russian experience, 1919-2011 -- A slow, lingering death : the French counterinsurgency experience, 1947-62 -- Banana Wars and other small wars : the American counterinsurgency experience, 1898-1975 -- The empire strikes back : the British counterinsurgency experience, 1900-94 -- Dirty wars : Afghanistan and Iraq, 2003-12 -- Conclusion : Dirty Wars : the future.