David Kilcullen is one of the worlds most influential experts on counterinsurgency and modern warfare. A senior adviser to General David Petraeus in Iraq, his vision of war powerfully influenced Americas decision to rethink its military strategy in Iraq and implement the Surge, now recognised as a dramatic success.In Counterinsurgency, Kilcullen brings together his most salient writings on this key topic. At the heart of the book is his legendary Twenty-Eight Articles, in which he shows company leaders how to practise counterinsurgency in the real world, at night, with the GPS down, the media criticizing you, the locals complaining in a language you dont understand, and an unseen enemy killing your people by ones and twos. Reading this piece is like reading a modern-day Sun Tzu in such pithy adages as Rank is nothing: talent is everything or Train the squad leaders then trust them, Kilcullen offers advice that any leader would be wise to consider. The other pieces in this book include Kilcullens pioneering study of counterinsurgency in Indonesia, his ten-point plan for the Surge in Iraq, and his frank look at the problems in Afghanistan. He concludes with a new strategic approach to the War on Terror, arguing that counterinsurgency rather than traditional counterterrorism may offer the best approach to defeating global jihad.Counterinsurgency is a picture of modern warfare by someone who has had his boots on the ground in some of todays worst trouble spots including Iraq and Afghanistan and who has been studying the topic since 1995. Filled with down-to-earth, common-sense insights, this book is indispensable for all those who are interested in making sense of our world in an age of terror.