Urban Guerrilla Warfare

Guerrilla insurgencies continue to rage across the globe, fueled by ethnic and religious conflict and the easy availability of weapons. Reflecting the massive global movement of population from the countryside to cities, guerrilla conflict in urban areas, similar to the current violence in Iraq, will become more frequent. In his wide-ranging and richly detailed comparative analysis, Anthony James Joes examines eight key examples of urban guerrilla conflict across half a century and four continents: Warsaw in 1944, Budapest in 1956, Algiers in 1957, Montevideo and Sao Paulo in the 1960s, Saigon in 1968, Northern Ireland from 1970 to 1998, and Grozny from 1994 to 1996.

He illustrates the fundamental differences between traditional and urban guerrilla warfare, traces the diverse origins of urban conflicts, and identifies similarities and differences in the methods of counterinsurgent forces. Joes argues persuasively against committing U.S. troops in urban counterinsurgencies but also offers cogent recommendations for the successful conduct of such operations if they must be undertaken.

Urban Guerrilla Warfare is a readable, thorough, and convincing exposition of a form of conflict whose dangers will increasingly confront the American people for many years to come.