On Internal War; American and Soviet Approaches to Third World Clients and Insurgents

Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press, 1992. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. viii, 271, [1] pages.DJ has some wear and sticker residue. Inscribed by the author on the half title page. Inscription reads: To Jean Brounas, with fondest regards, Bill, Odom. Includes Acknowledgments, Introduction, Notes, Bibliography, and Index. Includes chapters on The Two-Camp Struggle: Competing Approaches; The Political and Economic Context for Internal War; The Indigenous Sources of Internal Wars; Where U.S. Involvement in Internal Wars is Probable; The Record of East-West Competition in the Third World; Case Assessments: Test of Concepts; The El Salvadoran Case; The Guatemalan Case; The Philippines Case; The Middle East-Southwest Asian Challenge; Case Assessments Conclusion; What Is to Be Done? William Eldridge Odom (June 23, 1932 – May 30, 2008) was a United States Army lieutenant general who served as Director of the National Security Agency under President Ronald Reagan, which culminated a 31-year career in military intelligence, mainly specializing in matters relating to the Soviet Union. After his retirement from the military, he became a think tank policy expert and a university professor and became known for his outspoken criticism of the Iraq War and warrantless wiretapping of American citizens. William E. Odom combines expertise in political science and military affairs to challenge both conventional and unconventional wisdom about insurgencies and political development. The author concludes that in all three components of U.S. strategy for counterinsurgency--political, economic, and military--faulty notions of causation inform policy. This book reviews the contrasting theory and practice in the Soviet and American approaches to their competition in the Third World, and relates them to indigenous causes of internal wars. It also integrates the military dimensions of insurgencies with external influences and internal policies. Drawing on political development theory, Odom underscores the sources of instability in Third World states that make insurgencies more likely, and suggests ways to assess the prospects for democracy in specific cases. The centerpiece of the study is a practical application of his analysis to three case studies--El Salvador, Guatemala, and the Philippines--and a regional assessment of the Middle East. Odom offers no panaceas, but he suggests that more promising strategies can be devised. Land reform is imperative to undercut peasant insurgencies. This book is unique in mixing political theory and policy practice in a major area of American foreign policy. It will be of keen interest to political scientists and policymakers alike. Condition: Very good / Good.

Keywords: Political Science, Military Affairs, Insurgencies, Internal War, Civil War, El Salvador, Guatemala, Philippines, Middle East, Southwest Asia, Case Assessments, Counterinsurgency, Democracy, Samuel Huntington, Transnational

ISBN: 0822311828

[Book #81719]

Price: $500.00