A Global History of Relocation in Counterinsurgency Warfare

Relocation as a strategy and operational approach in war has reappeared in various forms from the late 18th century to the present day. In A Global History of Relocation in Counterinsurgency Warfare, Edward J Erickson brings together a distinguished cast of contributors to present a chronological survey of the major relocations of people conducted as deliberate operational approaches to modern conflicts. Each chapter covers a different case study, including the removal of Native Americans in the USA, La Reconcentracion in Cuba, the American internment of Filipinos after the Balangiga Massacre, the deportation of the Boer population in South Africa and the relocation of Ottoman Armenians and Russian Jews. Bringing together the threads of the separate case studies, the conclusion reaffirms relocation as a deliberate operational approach used by major powers in warfare against real or perceived threats. This is a vital volume for academics and students interested in military history, counterinsurgency and strategic studies.

Table of Contents:
List of Maps Introduction, Dr. Edward J Erickson 1. Exile without End, The Acadian Expulsion, Major Christine Keating 2. The Long Walk of the Najavo, Relocation in the American Southwest, Dr. Jonathan F Phillips 3. War Answered with War, The Spanish in Cuba, Major Mark Askew 4. A Howling Wilderness, America in the Philippines, Dr. Ethan H Harding 5. Methods of Barbarism, The Boer War, Dr. John Sheehan 6. Uneven Repression, The Ottoman State and its Armenians, Dr. Maxime Gauin 7. From the Pale, The Russians and the Jews, LtCol Kevin D Glathar 8. They are our Enemies, The Japanese-American Internment, Dr. Edward J Erickson 9. A Collective Measure, Population Resettlement in the Malayan Emergency, LTC Gregory J Reck 10. Regroupment Centres, The French in Algeria, Dr. James Tallon 11. Counterinsurgency at the 'Rice Roots' Level, South Vietnam's Strategic Hamlet Campaign, Dr. Nathan R Packard 12. Resettlement in the Portuguese Colonial Wars, Africa, 1961-1975, Dr. Kalev I Sepp Conclusions: Relocation in Counterinsurgency Warfare, Dr. Edward J Erickson Appendices Index

About the Author :
Edward J Erickson is Professor of Military History at the Marine Corps University, USA. He is widely recognized as one of the foremost specialists on the Ottoman Army during the First World War. His most recent publications include Gallipoli: Command under Fire (Osprey Publishing, 2015), Ottomans and Armenians: A Study in Counterinsurgency (2013) and Ottoman Army Effectiveness in World War I (2007).

Review :
Recommended. General readers through faculty; professionals. It is certainly groundbreaking, and deserves a place on the bookshelf of any reader interested in irregular warfare. This book assembles a very useful selection of introductions to counterinsurgency relocation, including some (notably ... those in Cuba, South Africa, and Vietnam) which are excellent stand-alone summaries. This is a fascinating, ground-breaking book that shows how so many counter-insurgency campaigns have used relocation and 'concentration' as an operational method against subject populations in revolt and during conflict, often on misplaced intelligence assessments.