Treading on hallowed ground : counterinsurgency operations in sacred spaces / edited by C. Christine Fair and Sumit Ganguly.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Fair, C. Christine.

Ganguly, Sumit.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Counterinsurgency.

Insurgency.

Counterinsurgency--Case studies.

Sacred space--Political aspects.

Sacred space.

Shrines.

Genre:

Case studies.

Physical Description:

xii, 227 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Other Title:

Counterinsurgency operations in sacred spaces

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2008.

Summary:

After America's ill-prepared invasion of Iraq, the U.S. military had to confront a unique aspect of waging a counterinsurgency campaign: fighting against an insurgency that often strategically positions itself on the "hallowed ground" that surrounds holy places of worship. As the contributors to Treading on Hallowed Ground show, this troublesome question is not unique to Iraq; counterinsurgency efforts on religiously contentious terrain are a widespread phenomenon in recent times, ranging from North Africa to Central and Southeast Asia. C. Christine Fair and Sumit Ganguly have assembled an impressive group of experts to explore the most important counterinsurgency efforts in sacred spaces in Israel, Iraq, India, Kashmir, Pakistan, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia. Taken together, the essays compose the first comprehensive account of this increasingly pivotal component of contemporary war.

Contents:

1 Counterinsurgency and the Problem of Sacred Space / Ron E. Hassner 13

2 The Golden Temple: A Tale of Two Sieges / C. Christine Fair 37

3 A Mosque, a Shrine, and Two Sieges / Sumit Ganguly 66

4 The Battle for the Soul of Pakistan at Islamabad's Red Mosque / Manjeet S. Pardesi 88

5 Fighting for the Holy Mosque: The 1979 Mecca Insurgency / Pascal Menoret 117

6 Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in Iraq's Sacred Spaces / David Siddhartha Patel 140

7 Iron Fists without Velvet Gloves: The Krue Se Mosque Incident and Lessons in Counterinsurgency for the Southern Thai Conflict / Joseph Chinyong Liow 177

8 Conclusion: Counterinsurgency in Sacred Spaces / Nora Bensahel 200.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0195342038

9780195342031

0195342046

9780195342048

OCLC:

199463718