Why Allies Rebel : Defiant Local Partners in Counterinsurgency Wars

Why do powerful intervening militaries have such difficulty managing comparatively weak local partners in counterinsurgency wars? Set within the context of costly, large-scale military interventions such as the US war in Afghanistan, this book explains the conditions by which local allies comply with (or defy) the policy demands of larger security partners. Analysing nine large-scale post-colonial counterinsurgency interventions including Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Yemen, Lebanon, Cambodia, and Angola, this book utilizes thousands of primary source documents to identify and examine over 450 policy requests proposed by intervening forces to local allies. By dissecting these problematic partnerships, this book exposes a critical political dynamic in military interventions. It will appeal to academics and policymakers addressing counterinsurgency issues in foreign policy, security studies and political science. "Why do powerful intervening militaries have such difficulty managing seemingly weak local partners in counterinsurgency wars? Set within the context of costly, large-scale military interventions such as the U.S. war in Afghanistan, this book explains under what conditions local allies, such as the U.S.-allied regime in Kabul, comply with (or defy) the policy demands of larger security partners. Analyzing nine large-scale post-colonial counterinsurgency interventions, including Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Yemen, Lebanon, Cambodia, and Angola, the book utilizes thousands of primary source documents to examine over 450 policy requests proposed by intervening forces to local allies in order to dissect the problematic partnerships at the heart of these military interventions. Why did local allies comply with certain policy requests from larger partners, but remained defiant regarding other reforms? While work on counterinsurgency invariably acknowledges the critical importance of politics, the fundamental political dynamics behind managing crucial local partners is only now being examined. Tackling what has been termed the "big influence of small allies," Why Allies Rebel is noteworthy in an emerging field on proxy wars and complex asymmetric partnerships, offering insights regarding how local partners create both opportunities and obstacles in costly interventions"-- Provided by publisher Cover Contents Figures Tables Acknowledgments 1 Introduction 2 Why Local Allies Defy or Comply with Requests from Intervening Allies 3 Methodology: Wars, Documents, and Data 4 The USA in Iraq 5 The USA in Afghanistan 6 The USA in Vietnam 7 India in Sri Lanka 8 The USSR in Afghanistan 9 When Small States Intervene 10 Conclusion Appendix A Comparing Requests across Wars Appendix B Information Regarding US Department of State Cables from the US Interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan Appendix C Statistical Tables Bibliography Index Analysing policy documents from nine counterinsurgency wars, Elias asks why powerful militaries have difficulty managing local partners. Revealing a critical political dynamic in military interventions, this book will appeal to academics and policymakers addressing counterinsurgency issues in foreign policy, security studies and political science.