CS 39K, Spring 2005, Assignment 1

Insurgencies

Over the next several weeks, you and a randomly selected group of your colleagues from the class will prepare a brief study of a prominent insurgency of the 20th Century. Each group will be assigned one of the following insurgencies to study in detail:

Within your group, you should discuss the topic, and the group should prepare a short briefing paper describing:

We do not require that the group agree on all (or any) of these points. You should feel free to append a reasoned minority report if you disagree with the main document.

This group report is mainly a matter of facts. In addition, you should prepare a short individual report describing what you would do to start and run an insurgency in the context that your group report decides. In your individual report, consider the following questions:

There is no set length to this assignment, but it is usually easier to write something that is long rather than short. The Web is of course an incredible font of information, but realize that insurgencies are essentially political conflicts, which always have at least two sides, so don't always believe what you read as presented by either side of the issue. Use your own judgement in presenting what you believe to be the facts.

Later on, we will swap groups in order to prepare counter insurgency strategies. You will determine how to defeat an insurgency whose strategies you don't know, but were prepared by one of your classmates. So it is important to prepare careful briefs about the basic facts and to consider carefully what a successful insurgency strategy might be.

These reports are due in Week 10 at the start of class (28 March--immediately following Spring Break! Don't leave this to Spring break to prepare; get it done well in advance of break).


Last edited: 28 January 2005. randy@cs.Berkeley.edu