The Next Chapter in the Idiot’s Guide to a Successful Counterinsurgency Campaign

While the class may officially be over, we have a backlog of great pictures and student-written posts that we will be looking to share over the next few weeks.  For instance, here is a post, written by one of the students, for the assignment "write a chapter for the book The Idiot's Guide to a Successful Counterinsurgency Campaign."

---

Image from http://www.idiotsguides.com/ 

Chapter 3: 
Get a Map

Here’s a hint: if you want to conquer your enemies and win your campaign, you need to know the lay of the land.

---

This is helpful in any battle-like situation, from being able to hide the remote in the couch when someone tries to steal it to running after your dog when he escapes.  This is especially useful, however, on the battlefield.  The ability to know, and use, the land(scape) has won and lost wars.

What the British could have done differently to win the American Revolution

Another post on the question of how the British should have altered their tactics for the American Revolution.  You might notice that both students listed propaganda/media relations as important to a successful counterinsurgency campaign; in fact, ALL students who wrote on this topic mentioned this issue!

---

Image credit: "Happy Treason Day" by Before It's News

http://beforeitsnews.com/opinion-conservative/2015/07/happy-treason-day-ungrateful-colonials-3028140.html

It's an odd experience for an American to write about how the English could have won the American revolution from England on the 4th of July, but I still managed to find a few things England could have done differently to win the war, one early on and one late. The first is control of Colonial propaganda and the second is supply chains (or lack there of) to the British forces.

‘Merica, or Nah? An Exploration of Unpatriotic “What Ifs”

Below is the first of the class response papers written by our students about what they have learned about British Counterinsurgency.  Today's writing prompt:

What should the British have done differently in order to win the American Revolution?  Focus on 2 things.

Enjoy!

---

As a red-blooded American, there are few things I hold as sacred as Independence Day, the anniversary of the Greatest Divorce Paper of all time. Today is rather ironic for me, as this year I am celebrating July Fourth in the Mother Country of England while studying abroad. So, there is no better way to continue this theme than by playing devil’s advocate and brainstorming just what the British Empire could have done to retain the American Colonies back in 1775-1783. I believe the two main changes the British should have made to keep the colony were:

1. Run a strong propaganda campaign to generate greater public support for the war within Great Britain.
2. Choose stronger leadership and promote better communication between British officials coordinating the war efforts.