The Insurgents: A Poetic Book Review

This is meant as a poetic book review of The Insurgents by Fred Kaplan. It is about how General Petraeus and others tried to advance Army doctrine by incorporating Counterinsurgency (COIN) techniques/tactics.

SecDef and staff stormed into the room;

Three Generals stood, as SecDef’s stern voice boomed;

“I need unilateral consensus;

Something not too contentious;

A warfare strategy that will keep us from doom.”

“As you know, tensions grow in Iraq.

The President demands a solid plan of attack;

So to each of you three;

Keep in mind WMD;

Give me your views, and please keep fiction from fact.”

The 1st General then boldly confided;

This war is so clearly one-sided;

Massive firepower I’ve found;

With plenty of boots-on-the-ground;

Will end this war easily, he dismissively chided.

“I see, SecDef snarled with derision;

But your view, it lacks insight and vision;

T’would make the war unnecessarily costly;

But what I detest mostly;

Is a lack of weapons with technical precision.”

The 2^nd General, with a flair for sensation;

Said “I recommend we adopt a new transformation;

JDAMs and stealth UAVs;

Can find the enemy effortlessly;

And obliterate terrorists from this troubled 3^rd world nation.”

“I agree SecDef added with fanfare;

It’s simply a Revolution in Military Affairs;

Why, we could fire-and-forget;

And be one-hundred percent on target;

With a predator constantly armed in the air.”

Then the 3^rd General clearly depicted;

“On this scenario, we are strategically conflicted;

In such an emergency;

I’ll say it, “Insurgency”;

We need new warfare guidelines, ones previously restricted.”

“To what I preach, do not recoil with hysteria;

But this war meets all the COIN criteria;

T’is not shock-and-awe;

Above all, not MOOTW;

Think Seven Pillars of Wisdom by Lawrence of Arabia.”

“Are you serious, did I hear right,” SecDef cried;

“This is nothing like what you’ve described;

We want accuracy, speed;

That’s my motto, my creed;

On COIN strategy, this Dude will not abide.”

But long after all was said and done;

Not when the Prez said the Iraq War was won;

It was COIN disciples;

Those Galula archetypals;

Who lead us to this COIN reformation.

Of Petraeus, and Nagl and Crane;

Note their efforts were never in vain;

They persevered, sometimes fought;

Sometimes won, sometimes not;

But in the end, ‘twas for all of us, gain.