Course Syllabus

ISSS 4005: IRREGULAR WARFARE: TERRORISTS, INSURGENTS, and TRANSNATIONAL CRIMINALS

Fall 2013

University of Virginia

Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies

Charlottesville Campus

Thursday 4-6:45 pm,

Aug 29 – Dec  5

 

Instructor: Sean Edwards, Ph.D.

sje4av@virginia.edu

 

Irregular warfare has comprised 80% of all armed conflict since 1945.  This trend will continue. Given the recent demonstrated US dominance in long range precision warfare, both state and non-state adversaries are adopting asymmetric counters, including terrorism and insurgency to influence or control a population, avoid sustained open battle, and win the political contest by avoiding decisive military engagements. These types of conflicts are protracted, costly, messy, and more likely along the "arc of instability."  This course will educate students on the history and theory behind guerrilla warfare and revolutionary warfare, with specific lectures on case studies drawn from the 20^th and 21^st centuries. Students will explore the underlying political, social, economic, and other factors that lead to the birth of insurgencies and terrorist movements in the first place, the competing strategic approaches to insurgency and counterinsurgency, and explore how we can best avoid large scale conflict in the first place by smart early intervention. We will also explore the question of whether criminal organizations act as narco-insurgencies.

 

Students will be expected to take an active role in class discussions. Grades will be based upon attendance and class participation, one 5-page paper, one mid-term essay exam, and one 5-10-page final paper. Note the emphasis on participation - 30% of the grade - and I recommend you read the recommended readings to maximize that opportunity.

 

Instructor: Sean Edwards is currently the Senior Intelligence Officer (SIO) for Irregular Warfare for a US Government agency. He deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan as a senior advisor to ISAF Joint Command in the Summer of 2011. He served as an airborne ranger in the US Army before attending college and has worked as an analyst, branch chief, and SIO for the past twelve years. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Policy Analysis from RAND, an M.A. in National Security Studies from Georgetown University, and  B.A. in History and Mathematics from UVA. He has written dozens of classified assessments and published several monographs in open source on topics ranging from urban warfare to the US Army's role in space. His dissertation, Swarming and the Future of Warfare, was published by RAND in 2005.

 

Learning Outcomes

 

A comprehensive understanding of the conceptual issues associated with irregular warfare, and particularly, of insurgency, terrorism, and transnational criminals.

 

Improved research and writing skills associated with a complex analytical subject that spans multiple social science disciplines. Writing assignments are both timed in class essay format and home study research papers.

 

Basic awareness and vocabulary associated with the theory and practice of irregular warfare.

 

Understanding political, economic and social causes of insurgencies and terrorism in diverse political systems through the use of theory, concepts, and case studies.

 

Important questions to be explored and potential paper topics:

 

• Why did irregular warfare come to dominate conflict after 1945?
• What is the difference between a terrorist and an insurgent?
• What motivates different types of terrorist groups? When does terrorism succeed and fail? How can terrorism best be fought?
• How has the changing information environment affected the capability of non-state actors to engage in irregular warfare?
• Has the nature of insurgency changed in the 21st Century? Can population-centric counterinsurgency work for the United States?

 

• What is the real risk that a global Islamist insurgency can occur?

 

• How do we choose where, when and how to counter insurgent and terrorist movements given our limited resources?

 

 

Assessment Components:

 

Papers must be referenced and have a bibliography in a recognized format. As a rule of thumb, the 5 page paper will need to relate to at least 5 bibliographical sources, and the 5-10 page paper will need to relate to at least 12 bibliographical sources.

 

Required Texts:

 

 

Mao Tse-Tung, On Guerrilla Warfare, translated from the Chinese by Samuel Griffith II, University of Illinois Press, 1961, (ISBN 0-252-06892-0).

 

David Killcullen, The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of  a Big One, Oxford University Press, 2009 (ISBN 978-0-19-975409-0).

 

Bruce Hoffman, Inside Terrorism, Columbia University Press, 2006, (ISBN 9780231126991) - [Note: Make sure you get the revised and expanded edition].

 

 

Class Requirements

 

Students will be expected to take an active role in class discussions. Grades will be based upon class participation, one 5-page paper, one mid-term essay exam, and one 5-10-page final paper. Note there is no class on Nov 28.

 

PAPERS: Students will write one 5 page paper and a final 5-10 page paper.

 

EXAMS: Students will complete one essay mid term exam in class.

 

PARTICIPATION/ATTENDANCE: Given the importance of discussion, attendance is particularly important.  Note that participation is 30% of your grade. If you must miss a class, please notify me by e-mail or telephone in advance, if possible.  Missing class will affect the class participation grade: one missed class will have no effect on the grade, but each subsequent class missed will potentially lower the class participation grade.

 

READINGS: Students are expected to read the assigned readings and be prepared to discuss the various discussion questions. I have made efforts to distribute the reading equally but some issues necessarily required more reading than others, especially at the beginning.  The lecture and reading schedule has been made as specific as possible to give the course structure and direction.  However, realize that this schedule is subject to change to accommodate extended discussion of matters of interest for the class and to account for breaking events in Syria, Nigeria, etc. 

 

 

Evaluation Criteria

 

Grades will be assigned as follows:

 

Level and quality of participation -     30%

5 Page paper -                                      20%

Mid Term essay exam -                       20%

Final 5-10 page paper -                        30%

 

 

Class Schedule:

 

Class 1: Thursday, Aug 29

Introduction, definitions, the terrorist-insurgency continuum

Reading:

Bard E. O’Neill, Insurgency and Terrorism, 2^nd Edition, Revised, Potomac Books, Inc., 2005, Chapter 2, The Nature of Insurgency, pp. 15-44.

David Killcullen, The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of  a Big One, Oxford University Press, 2009, Chapter 1, pp. 1-38.

 

Class 2: Thursday, Sep 5

[Teacher out of town]

Case Studies: Algeria

No Class - the assignment is to watch movie Battle of Algiers (1966) on your own

Start reading Class 4 assignments, its a heavy load that week!

 

Class 3: Thursday, Sep 12

Underlying conditions of irregular warfare

 

USAID, Guide to the Drivers of Violent Extremism, Produced by Guilain Denoeux with Lynn Carter of Management Systems International, 2009 (skim).

 

Michael Mousseau, “Market Civilization and Its Clash with Terror,” International  Security 27:3, Winter 2002/03, pp. 5-29.

Jeff Victoroff, "The Mind of the Terrorist: A Review and Critique of Psychological Approaches," Journal of Conflict Resolution, 49:1, 2005, pp. 3-42.              

Class 4: Thursday, Sep 19

History of guerrilla warfare, introduction to revolutionary warfare, classic theories of insurgency

Reading:

Mao Tse-Tung, On Guerrilla Warfare, translated from the Chinese by Samuel Griffith II, University of Illinois Press, 1961.

John Shy and Thomas W. Collier, "Revolutionary War," in Makers of Modern Strategy, edited by Peter Paret, Princeton University Press, 1986, pp. 815-862.

Bard E. O’Neill, Insurgency and Terrorism, 2^nd Edition, Revised, Potomac Books, Inc., 2005, Chapter 3, Insurgent Strategies, pp. 45-70.

John Nagl, Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam, University of Chicago Press, Chapter 2, pp. 15-33. 

 

Class 5:  Thursday, Sep 26

Counterinsurgency Theory

Reading:  

David Galula, Counterinsurgency Warfare: Theory and Practice, Praeger Security International, 1964, Chapters 5-7, pp. 70-134.

Gian P. Gentile,”A Strategy of Tactics: Population-centric COIN and the Army,” Parameters, Autumn 2009, pp. 5-17.

Class 6: Thursday, Oct 3

 Case Studies: North Caucasus, Russia

Guest Speaker - Dr. Mike Dennis

 

Reading: 

Emil Souleimanov, "The Republic of Dagestan: the epicenter of Islamist Insurgency in Russia's North Caucasus," IPRIS Occasional Paper, December 2011.

Kristin M. Bakke, “Copying and Learning from Outsiders? Assessing Diffusion from Transnational Insurgents in the Chechen Wars, presented at the workshop “Mobilizing across Borders: Transnational Dynamics of Civil War,” Peace Research Institute, Oslo, August 20-21, 2010.

Emil Souleimanov, "The Caucasus Emirate: Genealogy of an Islamist Insurgency," Middle East Policy Council, 2013.

5 Page Paper Outline/draft Due

 

Class 7: Thursday, Oct 10 -

Case Studies: Malaya, Algeria, Vietnam

 Reading:

Andrew F. Krepinevich, The Army and Vietnam, JHU Press, 1988, Chapters 6-7, pp. 164-24.

John Nagl, Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam, University of Chicago Press, Chapters 4-5, pp. 59-85, 87-111.

 

Class 8: Thursday, Oct 17 -

Case Studies: Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)

Reading:

David Patraeus, “Learning Counterinsurgency: Observations from Soldiering in Iraq," Military Review, 86:1, Jan-Feb 2006, pp. 2-12.

David Killcullen, The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of  a Big One, Oxford University Press, 2009, Chapters 2-3, pp. 39-185.

5 Page Paper Final Draft Due

 

Class 9: Thursday, Oct 24 -

Case Studies: Syria and Nigeria

Reading:

International Crisis Group, Popular Protest in North Africa and the Middle East (VII): The Syrian Regime's Slow Motion Suicide, July 2011.

Andrew Walker, What is Boko Haram?, US Institute for Peace, Special Report 38, June 2012.

 

Class 10: Thursday, Oct 31 

Terrorism

Reading:

Bruce Hoffman, Inside Terrorism, Columbia University Press, 2006, Chapters 1-3, pp. 1-80.

Recommended Reading:

Andrew Kydd and Barbara Walter, "The Strategies of Terrorism," International Security, 31:1, Summer 2006, pp. 49-80.

Max Abrahms, "Why Terrorism Does Not Work," International Security, 31:2, Fall 2006, pp. 42-78.

Mid term essay exam

 

Class 11: Thursday, Nov 7

AQ and its affiliates

Reading:

Hoffman, Inside Terrorism, pp. 81-130.

David J. Kilcullen, “Countering Global Insurgency,” The Journal of Strategic Studies, Vol. 28, No. 4, August 2005, pp. 597-617.

            10 Page Paper Outline/Draft Due

 

Class 12: Thursday, Nov 14

The Future of Terrorism

Reading: 

Hoffman, Inside Terrorism,, pp. 197-295.

 

Class 13: Thursday, Nov 21

The Insurgency-Crime Nexus: The FARC,  Taliban, and Mexican TCOs - Part One

Reading: 

Hal Brands, Mexico’s Narco-Insurgency and U.S. Counterdrug Policy, Strategic Studies Institute, 2009, pp. 1-13.

Brad Freden, “The COIN Approach to Mexican Drug Cartels: Square Peg in a Round Hole,” Small Wars Journal, Small Wars Journal LLC, December 2011 (found at http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/the-coin-approach-to-mexican-drug-cartels-square-peg-in-a-round-hole

June Beittel, Mexico’s Drug Trafficking Organizations: Source and Scope of the Rising Violence, Congressional Research Service, June 2012.

 

Thursday, Nov 28

No class

  

Class 14: Thursday, Dec 5

The Future of Irregular Warfare

Reading: 

Frank Hoffman, Conflict in the 21st Century: The Rise of Hybrid Wars, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, 2007.

Russell Glenn, "Thoughts on "Hybrid" Conflict, Small Wars Journal, Small Wars Journal LLC, 2009.

“Complex Irregular Warfare: The Face of Contemporary Conflict,” Military Balance, IISS, 2005, pp. 411-420.

David Killcullen, The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of  a Big One, Oxford University Press, 2009, Conclusions, pp. 291-301.

10 Page Paper Final Draft Due

 

 

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