Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam

Invariably, armies are accused of preparing to fight the previous war. In Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife, Lieutenant Colonel John A. Nagl?a veteran of both Operation Desert Storm and the current conflict in Iraq?considers the now-crucial question of how armies adapt to changing circumstances during the course of conflicts for which they are initially unprepared. Through the use of archival sources and interviews with participants in both engagements, Nagl compares the development of counterinsurgency doctrine and practice in the Malayan Emergency from 1948 to 1960 with what developed in the Vietnam War from 1950 to 1975.

In examining these two events, Nagl?the subject of a recent New York Times Magazine cover story by Peter Maass?argues that organizational culture is key to the ability to learn from unanticipated conditions, a variable which explains why the British army successfully conducted counterinsurgency in Malaya but why the American army failed to do so in Vietnam, treating the war instead as a conventional conflict. Nagl concludes that the British army, because of its role as a colonial police force and the organizational characteristics created by its history and national culture, was better able to quickly learn and apply the lessons of counterinsurgency during the course of the Malayan Emergency.

With a new preface reflecting on the author's combat experience in Iraq, Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife is a timely examination of the lessons of previous counterinsurgency campaigns that will be hailed by both military leaders and interested civilians.

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Learning to Eat Soup With a Knife :... by John A. Nagl. ISBN13: 9780226567709. ISBN10: 0226567702. Published by University of Chicago Press. Edition: 05 Used	Textbooks.com 2,445 reviews *smarter certified	$17 $10.20 Coupon 2 coupons available Code:No Code Required Detail: Free shipping w/ $25 purchase at Textbooks. Expires:Dec-31-2009 Restriction:Unknow Code:xicyx Detail: Use coupon code xicyx at checkout to enjoy Free Shipping on your order plus enter to win $500 at Textbooks. Expires:Dec-31-2009 Restriction:Unknow	See it
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Recent Reviews

4/5: From: Amazon; Posted: May-29-2009; Learning Organization; The author review military doctrine in dealing with local insurgencies. He compares the British experience in Malaysia and the American experience in Viet Nam. The focus on the book is in describing a "learning organization." This is...; read full review | report as inappropriate

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Mar-28-2009; Important lessons for today; Colonel Nagl has written one of the best books on recent military history I have yet to read. He examines the past experiences in Vietnam and Malaya, pointing out what the failures and success of those experiences and translates them...; read full review | report as inappropriate

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Mar-25-2009; Refreshingly introspective and honest; As a military history buff I feel like I have a good understanding of the dynamics of the Vietnam War and the reasons for the outcome from the perspective of the United States. However, Colonel Nagl puts the whole issue in a much more...; read full review | report as inappropriate

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Dec-15-2008; Is the U. S. Army a learning institution ?; This was required reading for a graduate course in the history of American military affairs. The purpose of John A. Nagl's book was to explore the reasons why the British army was able to change its strategy and tactics of war fighting...; read full review | report as inappropriate

Selected Reviews

4/5: From: Amazon; Posted: May-29-2009; Learning Organization; The author review military doctrine in dealing with local insurgencies. He compares the British experience in Malaysia and the American experience in Viet Nam. The focus on the book is in describing a "learning organization." This is...; read full review | report as inappropriate

3/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Oct-06-2008; Overrated, but still worth reading.; Read this book when I was still on active duty. It got a lot of hype when OIF turned into the "long, hard, slog" and military professionals from the brass on down had to get smart on counterinsurgency real quick. I didn't feel his...; read full review | report as inappropriate

1/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Sep-23-2008; NOT A GOOD BOOK ON COUNTERINSURGENCY; This is not truly a book about insurgencies and counterinsurgencies. According to Nagl, his thesis presented in this book is to examine "how armies learn." Nagl uses as case studies the British counterinsurgent campaign in Malaya and...; read full review | report as inappropriate