What is the meaning of insurgency?
insurgency, term historically restricted to rebellious acts that did not reach the proportions of an organized revolution. It has subsequently been applied to any such armed uprising, typically guerrilla in character, against the recognized government of a state or country.
What is insurgency example?
Insurgency is also used for less serious situations: for example, a rebellious group within a company, political party, or school could be called an insurgency. All insurgencies are made up of rebels.
What is the difference between an insurgency and resistance movement?
This may be accomplished through violent or non-violent means. In this view, a resistance movement is specifically limited to changing the nature of current power, not to overthrow it; and the correct military term for removing or overthrowing a government is an insurgency.
Is insurgency the same as terrorism?
Method versus movement Terrorism is considered to be a method of pursuing a political goal [19], while insurgency is a political movement aimed at realizing a specific political goal [65, para. 2], which is generally to overthrow a regime.
What is another word for insurgency?
What is another word for insurgency?rebellionrevoltinsurgenceinsurrectionmutinyuprisingoutbreakresistanceapostasydefiance70 more rows
Why do insurgencies occur?
Examination of the major recent historical examples of insurgency reveals that its main causes are to be sought not in economic deprivation but in political factors such as alien rule or foreign invasion. Nationalist and peasant-populist aspirations provided the principal motives for joining insurgent forces.
What is the goal of an insurgency?
These forces typically mingle with civilians in order to hide from the forces defending the political order." According to Matthew Adam Kocher, Thomas Pepinsky and Stathis Kalyvas, a central objective in insurgencies is to achieve control over civilians.
What are the 3 components of insurgency?
There are three prerequisites that are critical elements to build and sustain an insurgent movement: (1) vulnerable population; (2) leadership direction; and (3) lack of government control.
Is an insurgency a civil war?
Invariably, these civil wars feature insurgencies, i.e., organized, protracted politico-military struggles designed to weaken control and legitimacy of an established government, occupying power, or other political authority, while increasing insurgent control.
Has the US ever defeated an insurgency?
The answer is 'yes,' but not by military force alone. As the United States enters its fourth year of combat in Iraq, with victory over insurgents and terrorists more elusive than ever, it is worth recalling an insurrection early in the Cold War.
How does an insurgency start?
Insurgencies typically begin as small, clandestine groups – not as the well-known, army-like forces that they may later become. Because they are typically small and poorly resourced, nascent groups can be easily destroyed, even by relatively weak states.
What are the different forms of insurgency?
The expeller, revolutionary and separatist types of. insurgency.The guerrilla and terrorist modes of insurgency.Distinguishing insurgency from other non-state warfare.
What is an example of an insurgent state?
The Iraq insurgency is one example of a recognized government versus multiple groups of insurgents. Other historic insurgencies, such as the Russian Civil War, have been multipolar rather than a straightforward model made up of two sides. During the Angolan Civil War there were two main sides: MPLA and UNITA.
What are the 3 components of insurgency?
There are three prerequisites that are critical elements to build and sustain an insurgent movement: (1) vulnerable population; (2) leadership direction; and (3) lack of government control.
What is the goal of insurgency?
We also assume that the main objective of the insurgent group is to change the economic and political order of the country. Finally, we define guerrilla as a member of an insurgent group.
How do you use insurgency in a sentence?
You are no longer fighting an insurgency. All of us are fighting the insurgency. It became the stronghold of the armed insurgency.
Why do people prefer to gamble in wars?
According to James D. Fearon, wars have a rationalist explanation behind them, which explains why leaders prefer to gamble in wars and avoid peaceful bargains . Fearon states that intermediate bargains can be a problem because countries cannot easily trade territories with the spread of nationalism. Furthermore, wars can take the form of civil wars. In her article Why Bad Governance Leads to Civil Wars, Barbara F. Walter has presented a theory that explains the role of strong institutions in preventing insurgencies that can result in civil wars. Walter believes that institutions can contribute to four goals. Institutions are responsible for checking the government, creating multiple peaceful routes to help the government solve problems, making the government committed to political terms that entails preserving peace, and lastly, creating an atmosphere where rebels do not need to form militias. Furthermore, Walter adds that if there is a conflict between the government and the insurgents in the form of a civil war, this can bring about a new government that is accountable to a wider range of people - people who have to commit to a compromise in political bargains. According to Walter, although the presence of strong influential institutions can be beneficial to prevent the repetition of civil wars, autocratic governments are less likely to accept the emergence of strong institutions due to its resulting constraint of governmental corruption and privileges. In her book, Insurgent Collective Action and Civil War in Salvador, Elisabeth Jean Wood explains that participants in high-risk activism are very aware of the costs and benefits of engaging in civil wars. Wood suggests that "participants in the 1964 Freedom Summer campaign in the US South ran high risks of bodily harm in challenging the long-standing practices of racial exclusion in Mississippi ”. There are many selective incentives that encourage insurgency and violent movements against autocratic political regimes. For example, the supply of safety as a material good can be provided by the insurgents which abolish the exploitation of the government and thus forms one of the main incentives. The revolutionary power can help manifest a social-political network that in return provides access to political opportunities to diverse candidates who share a collective identity and cultural homogeneity. Also, civil wars and insurgencies can provide employment and access to services and resources that were once taken over by the autocratic regimes.
How many gaps can an insurgency close?
Insurgencies, according to Stuart Eizenstat grow out of "gaps". To be viable, a state must be able to close three "gaps", of which the first is most important:
What is the meaning of the term "brigandry"?
The use of the term insurgency recognizes the political motivation of those who participate in an insurgency, but the term brigandry implies no political motivation. If an uprising has little support (for example, those who continue to resist towards the end of an armed conflict when most of their allies have surrendered), such a resistance may be described as brigandry and those who participate as brigands.
What is multipolarity in the Somali Civil War?
Multipolarity extends the definition of insurgency to situations where there is no recognized authority, as in the Somali Civil War, especially the period from 1998 to 2006, where it broke into quasi-autonomous smaller states, fighting among one another in changing alliances.
What was Mao's first phase of revolutionary warfare?
Mao considered terrorism a basic part of his first part of the three phases of revolutionary warfare. Several insurgency models recognize that completed acts of terrorism widen the security gap; the Marxist guerrilla theoretician Carlos Marighella specifically recommended acts of terror, as a means of accomplishing something that fits the concept of opening the security gap. Mao considered terrorism to be part of forming a guerilla movement.
What are some examples of selective incentives?
For example, the supply of safety as a material good can be provided by the insurgents which abolish the exploitation of the government and thu s forms one of the main incentives.
What is an insurgency?
An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion against authority when those taking part in the rebellion are not recognized as belligerents ( lawful combatants ).
What is the insurgency movement?
The first is that insurgency represents the struggle of the weak- an act of desperation against a materially superior ruling power. The asymmetric nature of the internal conflict compels the insurgent movement to use all means available to alter the balance of power in its favour.
How did Mao Zedong contribute to the insurgency?
The contribution of Mao Zedong was to place the population at the centre of the insurgent campaign. [17] The population is the source of nourishment to any struggle, providing shelter, supplies, intelligence and recruits. Thus every activity must be geared to achieving its support. It was this model of “people’s war” that would deeply influence the character of the following wars of national liberation.
What is the struggle of the weak?
The Struggle of the Weak. One common characteristic of all insurgencies is their significant material inferiority to the counterinsurgent, at least in the early stages of the conflict. Faced with an enemy far superior in economic resources, numbers and organization, the insurgents’ first objective is self-preservation.
How does propaganda help insurgents?
Successful insurgents use communication mediums to construct and disseminate information in a way that manages the relevant audiences’ opinion and behaviour in their favour. It can simultaneously inform, inspire and manipulate the populace as well as delegitimize and demoralize the enemy. Propaganda is also an instrument that tends to favour the insurgent over the ruling power. The government cannot afford to degrade its credibility in the areas it governs and so avoids crafting overtly misleading messages in favour of media censorship, which is a draining process in terms of time and effort. [37] In contrast, the insurgent group free from such responsibility enjoys greater creative freedom when formulating its revolutionary propagandistic messages. [38]
What was the Akkadian Empire?
For example, the Akkadian empire established in 2334 B.C., was a highly administrated agrarian society for its time. With his large and centralised army, Sargon of Akkad expanded his empire until it encompassed the territories between the “Upper Sea” and “Lower Sea”. [3] .
What is guerrilla warfare?
It is the war of the desperate through time. Guerrilla warfare itself was practiced by the most primitive societies in their ambushes and raids on other tribes and neighbouring settlements. The objective, however, rarely transcended banditry or revenge. [1] .
How can insurgents control the population?
Beyond these promises, insurgents can only control the population by constantly engaging in political subversion and substitution. The Chinese Red Army was redefined by Mao as a political organization in which military action was superseded by political work, such as: creating a unified consciousness amongst the masses, providing health services and assisting them in their manual labour. [20] In all interactions with the civilian population, Red Army units were to maintain strict discipline, abiding by the rules of behaviour formulated by Mao in his “Three Main Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention.” [21] A military doctrine that included such rules as ‘do not take a single needle or piece of thread from the masses,’ ‘speak politely’ and ‘pay fairly’. [22]
What was the cause of the 1984 Sikh massacre?
Public outcry over Gandhi's death led to the slaughter of Sikhs in the ensuing 1984 Sikh Massacre. These events played a major role in the violence by Sikh militant groups supported by Pakistan and consumed Punjab until the early 1990s when the Khalistan movement eventually slowed down.
What did Bhindranwale do?
Bhindranwale had risen to prominence in the Sikh political circle with his policy of getting the Anandpur Resolution passed, failing which he wanted to declare a semi-autonomous, federal region of Punjab as a homeland for Sikhs. Bhindranwale was credited by the government with launching Sikh militancy in Punjab.
How did Bhindranwale influence Sikhs?
He also increased the awareness amongst the populace about the ongoing assault on Sikh values by politicians, alleging their intentions to influence Sikhism and eradicate its individuality by conflating it with Pan-Indian Hinduism. Bhindranwale and his followers started carrying firearms at all times for self defense. In 1983, he along with his militant followers occupied and fortified Akal Takht. While critics claimed that he entered the akal takht to escape arrest in 1983, there was no arrest warrant issued in his name, and he was regularly found giving interviews to the press in and outside the Akal Takht. He made the Sikh religious building his headquarters and led a campaign for autonomy in Punjab with the strong backing of Major General Shabeg Singh. They then took refuge in the Akal Takht as the extrajudicial violence against Sikhs increased in the months before Operation Bluestar.
What was the insurgency in Punjab?
The Insurgency in Punjab that started in the early 1980s, was an armed campaign by the militant Sikh nationalist Khalistan movement. In the 1980s, the movement had evolved into a secessionist movement after the perceived indifference of the Indian state in regards to mutual negotiations. The Green Revolution brought several social ...
Why did the Sikhs support the insurgents?
The majority of Sikhs in Punjab would come to support the insurgents as harsh police measures, harassment of innocent Sikh families, and fake encounters from the state had progressively increased support, and provided fresh motives for angry youth to join the insurgents, who were extolled by the community as martyrs as they were killed by police. Police activity discriminatory towards Sikhs increased alienation greatly, triggering indiscriminate militant incidents. However, the insurgent groups were also highly vulnerable to infiltration by security forces, providing possible motive as to frequent assassination of those suspected of being informants.
Why did the Akali Dal put forward the Anandpur Sahib Resolution in 1973?
After being routed in 1972 Punjab election, the Akali Dal put forward the Anandpur Sahib Resolution in 1973 to address these and other grievances, and demand more autonomy to Punjab. The resolution included both religious and political issues. It asked for recognising Sikhism as a religion It also demanded that power be generally devoluted from the Central to state governments. The Anandpur Resolution was rejected by the government as a secessionist document. Thousands of people joined the movement, feeling that it represented a real solution to demands such as a larger share of water for irrigation and the return of Chandigarh to Punjab.
How many Sikhs were killed in the Punjab protests?
Extrajudicial killings by the police of orthodox Sikh youth in rural areas in Punjab during the summer and winter of 1982 and early 1983, provoking reprisals. Over 190 Sikhs had been killed in the first 19 months of the protest movement.
Overview
An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion against authority waged by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare from primarily rural base areas. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irregular forces face a large, well-equipped, regular military force state adversary. Due to this asymmetry, insurgents avoid large-scale direct battles, opting inste…
Definition
James Fearon and David Laitin define insurgency as "a technology of military conflict characterized by small, lightly armed bands practicing guerrilla warfare from rural base areas." Austin Long defines insurgency as "the use of political and military means by irregular forces to change an existing political order. These forces typically mingle with civilians in order to hide from the forces def…
Insurgency and civil wars
According to James D. Fearon, wars have a rationalist explanation behind them, which explains why leaders prefer to gamble in wars and avoid peaceful bargains. Fearon states that intermediate bargains can be a problem because countries cannot easily trade territories with the spread of nationalism. Furthermore, wars can take the form of civil wars. In her article Why Bad Governance Leads to Civil Wars, Barbara F. Walter has presented a theory that explains the role o…
Tactics
Insurgencies differ in their use of tactics and methods. In a 2004 article, Robert R. Tomes spoke of four elements that "typically encompass an insurgency":
1. cell-networks that maintain secrecy
2. terrorism used to foster insecurity among the population and drive them to the insurgents for protection
Political rhetoric, myths and models
In arguing against the term Global War on Terror, Francis Fukuyama said the United States was not fighting terrorism generically, as in Chechnya or Palestine. Rather, he said the slogan "war on terror" is directed at "radical Islamism, a movement that makes use of culture for political objectives." He suggested it might be deeper than the ideological conflict of the Cold War, but it should not …
Counter-insurgency
Before one counters an insurgency, however, one must understand what one is countering. Typically the most successful counter-insurgencies have been the British in the Malay Emergency and the Filipino government's countering of the Huk Rebellion. In the Philippine–American War, the U.S. forces successfully quelled the Filipino insurgents by 1902, albeit with tactics considered unacceptable by the majority of modern populations.
See also
• Asymmetric warfare
• Fourth generation warfare
• Insurrectionary anarchism
• Irregular warfare
• Political warfare
External links
• How Insurgencies End by Ben Connable, Martin C. Libicki