Lessons from the Southern African wars: a counterinsurgency analysis

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dc.contributor.authorScholtz, Leopold
dc.date.accessioned2017-10-09T11:13:07Z
dc.date.available2017-10-09T11:13:07Z
dc.date.issued2011
dc.description.abstractWith the war in Afganistan still going strong, there is a considerable interest in the military profession for insight into counterinsurgency war. This article argues that the five Southern African counterinsurgency wars – the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902), the Portuguese colonial wars (1960-1974), the Rhodesian War (1965-1980), the Border War in Namibia (1968-1989) and the South African war against the ANC/SACP are valid illustrations of some of the rules being analysed in military literature nowadays. Mainly three lessons come out very strongly. One is the fact that counterinsurgency warfare is not about destroying an enemy army on the battlefield, but a struggle for the hearts and minds of the local population. The other is the role played by space – the smaller the geographical area to which the counterinsurgent can confine the insurgent, the better the chances for success. Last but not least, no counterinsurgency war can be truly won militarily. Politics will always be the deciding factor.en_ZA
dc.description.versionPublisher's versionen_ZA
dc.identifier.citationScholtz, L. (2011). Lessons from the Southern African wars: a counterinsurgency analysis. Journal for Contemporary History, 36(2), 193-215.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn0258-2442 (print)
dc.identifier.issn2415-0509 (online)
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11660/7236
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherFaculty of Humanities, University of the Free Stateen_ZA
dc.rights.holderFaculty of Humanities, University of the Free Stateen_ZA
dc.subjectAnglo-Boer War (1899-1902)en_ZA
dc.subjectPortuguese colonial wars (1960-1974)en_ZA
dc.subjectRhodesian War (1965-1980)en_ZA
dc.subjectBorder War in Namibia (1968-1989)en_ZA
dc.subjectSouth African war against the ANC/SACPen_ZA
dc.subjectCounterinsurgency warfareen_ZA
dc.subjectPoliticsen_ZA
dc.titleLessons from the Southern African wars: a counterinsurgency analysisen_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA
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JCH 2011 Volume 36 Issue 2