The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One

by David Kilcullen (Oxford University Press, USA). Rating: 4.5/5.

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Reviews from Amazon

Do you like to vote? Must read this

If you want to understand "who" is fighting us and "why," read this book. It clarifies the international security situation and provides several clear models for understanding it.

Our world is complex, and this book does not dumb things down. However, Kilcullen does a very nice job of breaking down themes into their various components. His first-hand knowledge provides extreme credibility, and he backs up everything he writes with detailed examples.

This is no easy read because of the subject matter. But Kilcullen's writing style is superior throughout. If you think Soldiers can't write, read this! The scholarship is brilliant.

I've purchased three copies because every time I meet a senior policy maker: we discuss the themes of this book; I say, "Have you read it?" They reply, "No, sounds interesting;" I give away my copy. It would be nice if Amazon offered a quantity discount! (I'm a peon BTW, not trying to boost my ego here.)

If your name begins with Admiral, General, Senator or Representative, you must read this. Also highly recommended for "voters." :)

Rating: 5

Answers the Why!

This book is excellent. It should be required reading for anyone in the Defense or State Departments. The author really explains things in very clear details. This book isn't meant for the casual reader. His style and methods are clearly designed for the professional or serious student. Mr. Kilcullen's book does read a lot more like a sociological book and not so much a war book. That method shows how complex counter insurgencies are.

If you want to know why things are going on this is the book for you. To many books get all lost in the stories of endless battles, movements and so on. This book cuts right to the why. This helps explains things that are going on. He does this by showing certain aspects of Afghanistan, Iraq, and other battles. Through this method you can see trends across theaters. The author also offers some real insightful comments about the key to success. For example he shows how certain civic projects have huge implications like building roads. He also talks about how in Iraq the flipping of the tribes was the key to success in the surge. That step, through people not so much through battles, but that was important changed the course of the war.

Mr. Kilcullen's comments are interesting and not necessarily policy. His options do sound like it comes from British or Roman History and not so much Bush policy. He advocates using the characteristics of the people environment to support policy like trying to win allies in the community. People might hate that but experience has shown that method works. That is even more interesting since the author served on Petraeus's staff during the surge.

Great Book if you want to learn about the why and not so much the what.

Rating: 5

Fantastic book.. written with a voice of honesty

Had low expectations to find any truth from the words of somebody who works for american military. Kilcullen totally surprised me with his honesty and real portrayal of middle east us-media-tagged "insurgents".

Great read.

Rating: 5

Everybody Wants To Rule The World

In the end, apparently, everyone wants to write a book about how the planet should be run. Much of what Kilcullen writes is very sensible and persuasive, when he's explaining the nitty gritty of insurgencies. When he re-designs western policy, he's weak.

This is two books. The first is a lucid explanation of how insurgencies work, with emphasis on the fact that "insurgents" vary from the dedicated cadre to the accidental guerrilla of the title. Local policy must be designed so that the less dedicated insurgents are dissuaded from continuing with their guerrilla activities, while the most dedicated are dissuaded from continuing with any of their bodily functions. While this part of the book suffers a milder form of the European-State Department view of the world (surely, if some locals take up arms to get in on the fun, they understand that the other side shoots back, right?), this is what makes the book worth reading. Kilcullen is one of the leading authorities on insurgency, and we are fortunate to be able to read his discussion of the topic without enlisting.

The second part of the book is harder to justify reading. When Kilcullen switches to geostrategic vision, he sounds like any European or State Department strategist. If you think that's brilliant, you're in for a treat. If not, you'll be bored at best. Either way, you don't need this book to give you the conventional wisdom, we're soaking in it. Still, the book is well worth reading for the ground-level view of guerrilla warfare, since it seems to be the wave of the future.

Rating: 4

Insightful

Excellent book describing what is happening in the world from a terrorism and counterinsurgency perspective. His recommendations and conclusions should be examined by policy makers on all levels.

Book was hard to digest at times but the insights that he has from a variety of conflicts allows Kilcullen to fully analyze the strategic and tactical issues impacting the the global environment. His case study on Afghanistan should be examined further in light of current military operations in that country.

Rating: 5

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