Victorious Insurgencies: Four Rebellions That Shaped Our World

Joes (Urban Guerrilla Warfare) looks at the causes, effects, and circumstances of 20th-century rebellions in China, where Chiang Kai-shek's nationalist forces were routed by Mao Tse-tung's troops; Vietnam, where the French were booted out by Ho Chi Min and General Vo Nugyen Giap; Cuba, where Castro overthrew the government of Fulgencio Batista; and Afghanistan, where freedom fighters defeated Soviet might. Joes adds a final chapter on the unlearned lessons of these insurgencies, with an eye towards the United States' current military situation. Underestimating the enemy, especially in military leadership, is a common thread. Another is the belief that entrenched powers fail to offer a peaceful road to change. While Joes is thorough in retelling the histories and raising salient points, he fails to establish a strong rationale for why he focused on these insurgencies and ignored others. All rebellions were inspired by the Russian communist revolution; perhaps because the domino theory has been discredited, Joes plays down the original motivator: the communist manifesto. (Oct.)