Fighting against Irregular Forces: Afghanistan as Test Case

America’s involvement in Afghanistan since late 2001 (Operation Enduring Freedom) is an excellent example of the highly problematic nature of ghting against irregular forces in a state with a long history of instability.This essay analyzes the factors behind Afghanistan’s instability and argues that understanding them can explain the political and military dif culty in destroying irregular forces that share a strong ideology and operate in a given geographical arena. This essay does not purport to offer solutions or recommendations for action; rather, it claims that the primary and most basic action a state must undertake when embarking on a confrontation with irregular forces in a given geographical setting is to understand the history of the region. Such an understanding will allow it to assess how local history has created a political, social, and economic system that is a convenient base for a guerrilla activity grounded in a rm ideological base. The essay claims that understanding the area politically, socially, and demographically allows for the formulation of a strategy and varied modi operandi for defeating the guerrilla forces.