David Petraeus is een voormalige Amerikaanse militair en publiek functionaris, bekend om zijn uitgebreide carrière in de Verenigde Staten. Zijn loopbaan omvatte leiderschapsrollen bij het leger en het hoofd van de Central Intelligence Agency. Hij beschikt over geavanceerde academische kwalificaties, waaronder een doctoraat in internationale betrekkingen, wat zijn intellectuele diepgang benadrukt. Zijn ervaringen hebben zijn kijk op internationale politiek en veiligheid gevormd.
'A major book that will enlighten the layman and guide the statesman or geopolitical student' DR. HENRY KISSINGERTwo leading authorities - a bestselling historian and the outstanding battlefield commander and strategist of our time - collaborate on a landmark examination of war since 1945.
Counterinsurgency operations generally have been neglected in broader American military doctrine and national security policies since the end of the Vietnam War over 40 years ago. This manual is designed to reverse that trend. It is also designed to merge traditional approaches to counterinsurgency (COIN) with the realities of a new international arena shaped by technological advances, globalization, and the spread of extremist ideologies-some of them claiming the authority of religious faith. This field manual establishes a framework for military operations in a COIN environment based on lessons learned from previous counterinsurgencies and contemporary operations, as well as existing interim doctrine and doctrine recently developed. This is a comprehensive manual that details every aspect of a successful counterinsurgency operation from intelligence to leadership to diplomacy. It also includes several useful appendices that provide key supplementary material.