FORUM - Three Lessons from the Modern Era of Small Wars

This article examines the key lessons to be learned from the smalls wars that have occurred around the world since 1945. Overall, the author contends that there are three lessons: 1) that counterinsurgency thinking and practice generally lags behind that of its insurgent foe; 2) insurgencies succeed or fail based on their ability to create meaning for themselves amongst the public while also establishing control over a population; and 3) that the assumptions of the ‘hearts and minds’ approach to counterinsurgency should be re-examined in light of insurgent successes.