Bibliograph

American counterinsurgency, human science and the human terrain, Roberto J. González

Type

Label

American counterinsurgency, human science and the human terrain, Roberto J. González

Language

eng

Illustrations

illustrations

Index

no index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

American counterinsurgency

Oclc number

262883591

Responsibility statement

Roberto J. González

Series statement

Paradigm, 34

Sub title

human science and the human terrain

Summary

Politicians, pundits, and Pentagon officials are singing praises of a kinder, gentler American counterinsurgency. Private military contract firms have begun employing anthropologists, political scientists, psychologists, and sociologists to help meet the US Defense Department's new demand. The $60 million Human Terrain System, an intelligence gathering program embedding social scientists with combat brigades in Iraq and Afghanistan, illustrates the approach. But when the military, transnational corporations, and the human sciences become obsessed with controlling the "human terrain", the civilian populations of Iraq and Afghanistan, what are the consequences? In this timely pamphlet, González offers a searing critique of HTS, showing how the history of anthropology can be used to illuminate the problems of turning "culture" into a military tool--Publisher's description

Table Of Contents

The myth of a "gentler" counterinsurgency -- The origins of human terrain -- Phoenix rising? The birth of HTS -- Imaginary terrorists, virtual tribes: HTS as technological fantasy -- Social science and the imperial imperative

Classification