@article{2018:ucko:learning_d,
title = {Learning Difficulties: The US Way of Irregular Warfare},
year = {2018},
note = {Since 9/11, the United States has achieved notable gains against al
Qaeda, and also Daesh, all while avoiding another mass-casualty attack
at home. Yet, institutionally, culturally, and in its capabilities,
the United States government remains seriously ill-equipped for the
task of countering irregular threats. Partly as a result, Islamist
extremism shows no sign of being defeated, having instead metastasized
since 9/11 and spread. Why, given the importance accorded to
counterterrorism, has the US approach remained inadequate? What is
impeding more fundamental reforms? The chapter evaluates the United
States’ way of irregular warfare: its troubled engagement with
counterinsurgency and its problematic search for lower-cost and
lower-risk ways of combating terrorism. It suggests needed reforms but
acknowledges also the unlikelihood of change.},
journal = {S&F Sicherheit und Frieden},
pages = {21--26},
author = {Ucko, David H.},
volume = {36},
number = {1}
}