Quote:
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Originally Posted by Maytime
Excerpt from dictionary.com:
insurgency--
n : an organized rebellion aimed at overthrowing a constituted government through the use of subversion and armed conflict.
guerrilla--
n : a member of an irregular armed force that fights a stronger force by sabotage and harassment
I think that this marks the difference between a guerrilla war and an insurgency, since the latter deals with a occupying force, while in this case the Persians never got a chance to move in.
I know, guerrillas can fight an established entity, but by definintion an insurgency can only fight such an entity, while guerrillas can clash with foreign or domestic threats. It's all stupid semantics  |
Maytime - Semantics are actually fairly important, they help define the argument. Though I will admit to playing loose with them when it suits my purposes, especially when I don't agree completely. This is one of those cases. You're confusing methods and means. GW is a tactic (or strategy - depends on who's doing the arguing). Think of it as a TTP that a strategist uses to achieve goals by/through the application of military force - usually asymetrically, by necessity. As such it is not limited to Insurgencies which are one particular type of political/military conflict. I probably should have done a better job in my initial response and concentrated on the asymetric aspects instead of confusing (narrowing) the issue by mentioning subjgated peoples. Take a more modern example (Det 101 in WWII - one of my favorites, or anything on either side of the SEA wars) and apply the corrolary to the ancient world. Don't arbitrarily restrict your search by concentrating on one particular type of warfare.
This is just the tip of the iceberg; get some of the older guys wound up about Unconventional Operations/Warfare - is it a mission or an environment? Food for thought - Peregrino