U. S. Army Handbook of Counterinsurgency Guidelines for Area Commanders. An Analysis of Criteria

Abstract

PREFACEInsurgency probably dates back to the beginning of organized society and certainly to the advent of the city-state form of governfient. The strategies and tactics of counterinsurgency are many and have varied widely. Measures have ranged from political reforms to harsh military action, from relocation to civic action and from friendly, persuasive appeals to coercive block warden systems. In some cases the policies and programs have been effective, and in others they have failed. Surprisingly, lessons learned from one counterinsurgency have not always been effective in the next. In order to better understand this complex phenomenon, standards or criteria for evaluating the selection of counterinsurgery plans and criteria for evaluating the implementation of various counterinsurgency programs must be devised.Within this context there is need for a systematic treatment of criterion methodology which deals with criteria for insurgency/counterinsurgency. Until appropriate sets of criteria can be formulated and evaluated there is a systematic way to evaluate the progress, success or failure of a counterinsurgency plan, program, project or task.This report describes the exploratory efforts to develop basic concepts for formulating and interpreting criteria pertinent to the counterinsurgency at the operational area level. It elaborates the -role of the area commander with emphasis on decision-making functions, alternatives and guidelines for his evaluation. Although a great deal of work remains to be done in counterinsurgency criteria development, this report is a first step, one which specifies immediate problems as well as direotions for future effort.

Cold War Anthropology

“…Other anthropologists, such as Howard Kaufman (see Rohde 2007: 256), worked as private contractors, and some anthropologists worked for cinfac, arpa, rand, or other sponsors issuing counterinsurgency-related contracts. In 1966, anthropologist Terry Rambo combined anthropological, psychological, military, and po liti cal science approaches to counterinsurgency in his contributions to the U.S. Army Handbook of Counterinsurgency Guidelines for Area Commanders: An Analy sis of Criteria (Havron, Wittenburg, and Rambo 1966). The handbook's analy sis of successful counterinsurgency tactics drew on diverse writings, including those of Raoul Naroll, Mao Tse-tung, Richard Critchfield, Gerald Hickey, Roger Hilsman, Walt Rostow, and Richard N. Adams.…”