British Counterinsurgency in the Post-Imperial Era (War, Armed Forces and Society)

This text covers the development of British counterinsurgency principles and practices since 1960. Through the study of conflicts in Borneo, South Arabia, Oman and Northern Ireland, the author explores how Britain's unique approach to internal conflict evolved and shows how the conflicts of this era can only be fully understood by stressing the links between colonial and post-colonial policy. The book is based on a combination of oral history and traditional document research, and sets narrative accounts within a broader analytical framework. The study traces how in each of the campaigns examined the British adapted principles developed during the colonial wars to the altered circumstances of the post-colonial world. The book focuses on the three broad principles of policy - minimum force, civil-military co-operation and tactical flexibility - and it assesses the success of the approach and the extent to which it could provide a valuable model in the future for new forms of United Nations peacekeeping.