Small wars are operations undertaken under executive authority, wherein military force is combined with diplomatic pressure in the internal or external affairs of another state whose government is unstable, inadequate, or unsatisfactory for the preservation of life and of such interests as are determined by the foreign policy of our Nation.

-- Small Wars Manual, 1940

Welcome. Small Wars Journal publishes contributed work from across the spectrum of stakeholders in small wars. We look for articles from serious, authentic voices that add richness, breadth and depth to the dialog that too often occurs in cloistered venues. We do not screen articles for conformance with a house view; our only position is that small wars are wicked problems warranting consideration of myriad views before action, to inform what will no doubt be imperfect decisions with significant unintended consequences. On the continuum from paralysis by analysis, to informed action with recognition & maybe mitigation of cascading effects, to bold & ignorant decisiveness, we strive to help our readers find the middle ground.

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The Army has an unfortunate tradition of considering insurgent conflict a sideshow effort and relegating the study of insurgencies to the fringes of military science. The Philippines campaign is a...

The threat exists and continues to operate. But more importantly we must understand that it is waging unconventional warfare and only using terrorism as one of the means of its strategy.

The failure to understand and appreciate the religious dimension of political action is not without consequence.

In the book’s final chapter, Kaplan warns America’s pivot to Asia may overlook its greatest foreign policy opportunity: building an enduring partnership with Mexico to safeguard our most...

Enabling our partners to conduct their own IO. There is no other way to get the message across the cultural divide.

swj blog

Continue on for today's SWJ news and opinion roundup.

Discriminate Power: A Strategy for a Sustainable National Security Posture by Michael J. Mazarr and the NDU Strategy Study Group, Foreign Policy Research Institute.

Continue on for today's SWJ news and opinion roundup.

Applying Early Lessons to Build Afghan Security by Thom Shanker, New York Times.

The Insurgent’s Playbook: Start Cumulative, Go Sequential by James R. Holmes, The Diplomat.