Violent Politics: A History of Insurgency, Terrorism & Guerrilla War, From the American Revolution to Iraq - Hardcover

Polk, William Roe

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0061236195 ISBN 13: 9780061236198

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2007

Synopsis

In the current Middle East, insurgency tactics are used with frequency and increasing success. But guerrilla war-fare is not just the tool of modern-day terrorists. Its roots stretch back to our very own revolution. In "Violent Politics," William Polk takes us on a concise, brilliant tour of insurgencies throughout history, starting with the American struggle for independence, when fighters had to battle against both the British and the loyalists, those colonists who sided with the monarchy. Instinctively, in a way they probably wouldn't have described as a coherent strategy, the rebel groups employed the tactics of insurgency. From there, Polk explores the role of insurgency in several other notable conflicts, including the Spanish guerrilla war against Napoleon, the Irish struggle for independence, the Algerian War of National Independence, and Vietnam. He eventually lands at the present day, where the lessons of this history are needed more than ever as Americans engage in ongoing campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq--and beyond.

About this title

About the Author:

William R. Polk became Professor of History and Founding Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Chicago in 1965.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0061236195
• ISBN 13: 9780061236198
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 273