"Why do powerful intervening militaries have such difficulty managing seemingly weak local partners in counterinsurgency wars? Set within the context of costly, large-scale military interventions such as the U.S. war in Afghanistan, this book explains under what conditions local allies, such as the U.S.-allied regime in Kabul, comply with (or defy) the policy demands of larger security partners. Analyzing nine large-scale post-colonial counterinsurgency interventions, including Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Yemen, Lebanon, Cambodia, and Angola, the book utilizes thousands of primary source documents to examine over 450 policy requests proposed by intervening forces to local allies in order to dissect the problematic partnerships at the heart of these military interventions. Why did local allies comply with certain policy requests from larger partners, but remained defiant regarding other reforms? While work on counterinsurgency invariably acknowledges the critical importance of politics, the fundamental political dynamics behind managing crucial local partners is only now being examined. Tackling what has been termed the "big influence of small allies," Why Allies Rebel is noteworthy in an emerging field on proxy wars and complex asymmetric partnerships, offering insights regarding how local partners create both opportunities and obstacles in costly interventions"-- Provided by publisher.

Introduction -- Why Local Allies Defy or Comply with Requests from Intervening Allies -- Methodology -Wars, Documents and Data -- The U.S. in Iraq -- The U.S. in Afghanistan -- The U.S. in Vietnam -- India in Sri Lanka -- The U.S.S.R. in Afghanistan -- When Small States Intervene -- Conclusion.