Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book argues that the insurgents in the modern world had been motivated by a trinity: greed, grievances and ideology. It also argues that three factors generally give rise to insurgencies: grievances tied to a handful of specific conditions, weak governance and greed. The book traces the emergence and transformation of protomodern insurgencies and counterinsurgency (COIN) into their modern counterparts. It deals with the Asian empires. Nationalism and communism/socialism to a great extent motivated these modern insurgents. The book focuses on neo-imperialism followed by the Western imperial powers in the aftermath of the Second World War. It also focuses towards the independent polities of Africa. The book deals with the gradual transition of the modern insurgencies and COIN into a new phenomenon which the author term postmodern insurgencies and COIN.