Counterinsurgency with John A. Nagl - Conversations with History

[@Creperum13]

This aged well…

[@chamindalal641]

Lt Col (RTD) Jhon A Nagl, you are correct in 2015 that when US left Afghanistan Taliban took control...

[@Mis-AdventureCH]

Had a chance to get to know John when he was working on that and meeting with Col. Carl Bernard in the DC area. He was way ahead of the rest of them.

[@Mis-AdventureCH]

@@JeepCherokeeful Has anyone? Realistically?

[@cbskwkdnslwhanznamdm2849]

The main lesson here is that we simply should not ever engage in counterinsurgency. He said it himself, we as a country have not developed the tools. He also very casually says that the US needs to have granular and intricate knowledge and influence over each neighborhood basically. If you think about what that actually means you realize it would be a joke to think we could pull it off, with the CIA, state department, Marines or anyone...Yes the United States was born by waging an insurgency. But offense and defense aren’t even the same sport when it comes to counterinsurgency/insurgency. I can’t imagine any group or institution that Can effectively use counterinsurgency.

[@arlieferguson3990]

It's surprising that these ideas sound so similar to the basic lessons of Vietnam. How could they have forgotten?

[@sanjayvaidya4925]

To read. Eod $$$$$$ talks the rest walk.

[@rockyfalldownstairs]

49:30 3 years? More like 3 weeks.

[@saberboi1526]

God damn, after watching this I AM going to get that book.

[@originalpastaman5470]

Would be interesting to see his take on the Russian way of "enemy-centric" counterinsurgency. Essentially just brute force your way through it.

[@HotPinkst17]

He would probably remind us that public opinion matters in a democracy. Without authoritarian repression, control of the media, and no morality Russia's way would quickly convince the people of the madness of the conflict. One compelling picture of a school that gets bombed unfairly or some such could cost our government the will of the people.

[@robchilders]

Dr Nagl is an obviously intelligent researcher, tactician and writer. My problem is with his views and findings is I heard nothing mentioned about why is there an insurgency? What are the motivating factors in the making of an insurgent? Insurgency is a dirty, dangerous and deadly undertaking. The difficulty in engaging a military force like America has is unbelievable. Dr. Nagl talks early about gaining empathy from his mother. To me, one of the problems he exhibits is his inability to use that empathy to better understand his enemy. In his answers Dr. Nagi called himself and the people he worked with insurgents. They were willing to risk their careers because they saw something they perceived as wrong. They were so convinced that American strategy was going in the wrong direction that he says they knew they were being sidelined by bringing the truth was so important. He is so intelligent but he can't seem to even see that the insurgents he is writing about share his view on the need for insurgency when nothing else is working. He lays out six things important in fighting an insurgency. One of these is gaining the support and protecting locals. He mentions nothing about understanding the insurgent. He seems almost oblivious that these locals, these villagers are the insurgents. What makes an insurgent? Loss of hope, anger, and perceived wrongs to him, his family or his cohort group. These are people who have been subjugated, marginalized and injured. Almost all have had family members or friends injured, arrested, tortured, raped or killed by either local security forces or American forces. Their ability to earn a living has been ripped from them by bombing, burning or forced taking. In Vietnam US Forces made many enemies by things so simple as driving a tank through a families only rice paddy, ruining generations of work. In Iraq, shops, stores and agricultural resources were ruined. When a person has been reduced to a point of loss, that they see no way to feed their families, or to gain redress from real or perceived injuries, then and only then can you produce the heart of an insurgent. One more thing, that seems to escape notice by many. It is impossible to bring a person freedom on the point of a bayonet. Freedom is a do it yourself exercise.

[@mp3mitchp3]

+robchilders Sir Robert Thompson’s “Five Principles of Counterinsurgency” are as follows: One: The government must have a clear political aim: to establish and maintain a free independent and united country which is politically and economically stable and viable. Two: The government must function in accordance with law. Three: The government must have an overall plan. Four: The government must give priority to defeating the political subversion, not the guerrilla. Five: In the guerrilla phase of an insurgency, a government must secure its base areas first. To your point Rob, it is indeed impossible to bring a person freedom on the point of a bayonet. So in keeping with Principle two soldiers should not point such an obsolete weapon at the population. I find most of your content naive to the point of sounding like a left-winged Fox News. You can’t view the population in black and white terms as insurgent verse non-insurgent. Your blanket statement of, “villagers are the insurgents” is just wrong. COIN it too complicated of a topic to dive into in any degree of completeness in a KZbin post. Therefore, I give you the homework of getting read up on COIN. Start with David Galula.

[@ermelindaalves9429]

+mp3mitchp3 john nagl és um espetaculo

[@kurger100]

It's a false notion that Afghanis became insurgents because we Americans tortured or killed them willy nilly... That's a lie... Afghanistan was better under America that it was ever in its History... It's the Pashtun Tribal culture and radical Deobandi Islam that value teachings of Mullahas over western values

[@TheErmelindaz]

John nagl meu coronel eu te admiro

[@sh-zaidi]

Unfortunately, the US did end up making the same mistake in Afghanistan

[@derekwischmann6123]

Agreed! Nagl is so far ahead in his thinking.

[@giggitygigs]

For real, I need to read all his books

[@bizxspace6434]

Locked in

[@TheErmelindaz]

coronel é assim k passas muito tempo no acampamento?

[@charmainetyrell7207]

The USA was born out of insurgency. They bet the British (red coats) which had far more fire power, better training and didn’t learn or remember how they were able to defeat a well equipped army. Two world wars, Vietnam countless other operations leading up to and leaving Afghanistan. Still using the wrong tactic. “We need to understand the insurgent”

[@ermelindaalves9429]

john falas bem mas eu keria ouvir outra ladainha tu sabes qual

[@NotNewsChannel]

He bears an uncanny resemblance to Jimmy Fallon

[@purplesword3800]

Jimmy Fallon????

[@SubodhMishrasubEE]

IMHO India and Israel have more experience in fighting insurgency than most other states.

[@hmax1591]

John A. Nagl for Vice President 20/20

[@UAIED]

It didn’t take three years for the Taliban to reach the gates of Kabul :(

[@ilotrunisfoschkanuris1883]

to tell the truth, kleinkrieg is the older form of military operation, the new form is the westpoint formation of coin. kleinkrieg does not work anymore, one can take elements of the kleinkrieg to fight coin - just elements vice-versa, but kleinkrieg works not alone and coin works not alone. its tricky to learn but a man or women at the military learns thrugh job practice the dimensions of both. but dont look to the germans they have a diffrendt view on bürgerkrieg, its more the tactic my unarmed war of the waffen-ss to give europe and world something back. coin is very interesting as i read the petreus form. but difficult to adapt on german military thinking. hope that starborn soldiers as mr. gerald nagl would understand all the problems of the burgundian pforte and the dessert of texanea. german as it seams and of the family of westeners.

[@ranulf7506]

Jimmy Fallon

[@bizxspace6434]

This guy is so keen Ed in on war

[@sanjayvaidya4925]

Whos consuming poppy end product?

[@brosint6955]

He predicted 3 years.. try 3 weeks for the fall of Kabul