A question of command : counterinsurgency from the Civil War to Iraq / Mark Moyar ; foreword by Donald Kagan and Frederick Kagan.

Author/creator Moyar, Mark, 1971-
Format Book
Publication InfoNew Haven : Yale University Press, ©2009.
Descriptionxviii, 347 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm.
Subjects
Counterinsurgency--History.
Counterinsurgency--United States. --History.
Command of troops.

SeriesThe Yale library of military history
Yale library of military history. ^A691702
Contents Leader-centric warfare -- The Civil War -- Reconstruction in the South -- The Philippine insurrection -- The Huk rebellion -- The Malayan emergency -- The Vietnam war -- The Salvadoran insurgency -- The war in Afghanistan -- The Iraq War -- How to win.
Abstract "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." -- Book jacket.
Local noteLittle-305131060368-
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references (p. 333-338) and index.
LCCN 2009013368
ISBN9780300152760 (alk. paper)
ISBN0300152760 (alk. paper)
ISBN9780300168075 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN0300168071 (pbk. : alk. paper)

Availability

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Joyner General Stacks U241 .M69 2009 ✔ Available Place Hold