In the prevailing view of counterinsurgency, the key to defeating insurgents is to choose the methods that will win people's hearts and minds. Do not permeate the theory of hearts and minds, not only most counterinsurgency books in the 21st century, but also in the United States.

Army / Marine Corps manual counterinsurgency, The US military above all the text on counterinsurgency. Mark Moyar attacks this traditional wisdom, asserting that the key to counterinsurgency is to select leaders with superior leadership capabilities. While the School of Hearts and Minds recommends allocating a lot of work and wealth to economic, social and political reforms, Moyar calls for the focus of resources on security, civil administration and leadership development.

Moyar provides a broad history of counterinsurgency, from civil war and reconstruction to Afghanistan and Iraq, which draws on the historical record and interviews with hundreds of counterinsurgency veterans, including senior commanders of the armed forces today. Through a series of case studies, Moyar identifies the ten critical features of counterinsurgency leadership and reveals why these features have been more prevalent in some organizations than others.

He explains how the US military and America's allies in Afghanistan and Iraq should redesign their workers' systems to bring more people to these features.

The issue of leadership will reshape the study and practice of counterinsurgency warfare.

With counterinsurgency now one of the most pressing issues facing the United States, this book is a must-read for policymakers, military officers and citizens.

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