military science

One way that "Guerilla Warfare," can be considered is as a three point plan, with each text included in the book being a different part of the plan.

The first part is the main text of the book, and discusses the tactics of a guerilla that begins in the country and builds strength until being able to fight with the regular army in standard battles. Che discusses propaganda, health care, education and industry that should be implemented in liberated territory as well as the roles of doctors and women in a guerilla war. This text is very clear and concise; Che takes all aspects of what would go into a guerilla army's territories and columns into consideration. He also makes the claim, at the beginning of the text that the necessary conditions for a revolution do not need to exist before the revolution, that the revolution itself can create them. This would seem to be a very encouraging claim for dissidents around the world, but one has to wonder whether Che's experiences in Congo and his capture and execution in Bolivia would contradict that claim. Both situations seemed to involve countries where the, "necessary conditions for a revolution," did not exist and were not created by Che's organization and recruiting.

The second part of this book, "Guerilla Warfare, a Method," discusses what many accused Che of downplaying in the original text, the role of the urban guerillas in a social movement. He writes about how the guerillas would be covert operatives who are simply waiting for the signal to take action.

The third part of the book contains one of Che Guevara's most famous works, "Message to the Tricontinental," where he discusses the need for "many Vietnams," meaning the need for the third world to begin rebelling en masse against the U.S. dictatorships of Che's time (not to imply that they are not still in place) and eventually against the American forces themselves. This is specifically seen when he makes a reference to coming face to face with an American soldier, who is armed with the most advanced equipment and will be ruthless. For me, this is the most inspirational work that I have ever read from Che Guevara; he makes it seem that rebellion is imminent and that it is only a matter of time before the people of the third world rise up against their American-installed governments.

For those who would say that this type of warfare is ineffective, that it only worked in Cuba, I would use the Vietnam War, which the Vietnamese call the American War as a case in point to contradict that claim, where the Viet Cong were able to defeat the most powerful and imperialistic army in the world using guerilla warfare and popular support. Perhaps Che knew that victory would be the eventual outcome for them, and that was why he wanted to create so many, "Vietnams," throughout Latin America.

This book is one of the most famous pieces of dissident literature ever written. If you are a Rage against the Machine fan you will probably have noticed that it is featured in their photo of books for the Evil Empire album. Reading it, enjoying it and understanding it will truly set you apart from the right wing.

"Guerilla Warfare," is also an example of why the imperialistic and plutocratic government of the United States saw the need to neutralize Che. He was both a man of action and of progressive thought, a combination that the American government loathes seeing in any individual whose world-view is different from its own. There are militant groups in the United States today whose views are not left leaning but ultra-conservative racist, and coincidentally these groups manage to exist without government harassment. Timothy McVeigh was a member of the Neo Nazi group the Arian Nation, but no investigation has been made into that organization. But Sherman Austin, the webmaster of the now offline Raisethefist website, was arrested and convicted because somebody posted a link to a website that had bombmaking instructions on it, somebody who was not even connected to the webmaster. So it can be seen that the government hates people like Che Guevara (and Sherman Austin, Malcom X and the Black Panthers) because they have the nerve to both think progressively and take action, a mentality that this book showcases proudly.

Part theoretical treatise, part manual for guerilla tactics and strategy, Che Guevara, in his thesis, attempts to provide a formula for the creation and of a small, armed and disciplined guerrilla band which, he believes, would be capable of overthrowing a large organised army. The book is animated by an impassioned desire to whip up a hemispheric socialist revolution in the aftermath of his succesful invasion of Cuba in 1956, in which he, along with Fidel Castro, among others, set the stage for the overthrow of the Batista dictatorship. Guevara discusses the qualities needed by the successful guerrilla warrior, the organisation of the guerrilla band, the methods of indoctrination and training and the tactics that should be employed to guarantee the defeat of large disciplined forces. He stresses the mobility of the guerrilla band, which is a major geographical advantage over large government armies, who are limited to a relatively stationary position due to their bulk. While the enemy loses weapons, the guerrillas retrieve them, thus gaining strength by virtue of the enemy's weakness. He draws attention to the fact that, owing to their increased mobility and flexibility, the guerrillas can remain hidden, while the enemy has no option but to remain exposed. These are precepts of solid value, culled out from Guevara's own experience as organiser of a guerrilla force. His boldest theoretical claim, however, which may be called Marxist-Leninist in its orientation, is the belief that a socialist society can be realised by the peasants, Indians and rural proletariat of Latin America without any of the economic conditions that, as orthodox Marxists insist, are essential for a successful revolution against capitalism. The guerrilla forces, as such, become the vanguard of the revolution. His emphasis on the will, instincts, popular support (and, in a way that was ahead of his time, ethnic consciousness) as the key factors in causing a revolution goes against the tenor of previous Latin American brands of communism, which were more gradualist in character, in seeing that a sufficient economic and industrial base must be in place for any revolution to succeed. The defeatism of various Marxist theoreticians of the time leads Guevara to become increasingly virulent, not only against them, but against American imperialism. In his "Address to the Tricontinental" he condemns American imperialism and insists on causing "two, three, or many Vietnams" in the hope of driving a stake through the heart of American imperialism. However, Che Guevara's voluntarist practice and his theory of internationalist revolution have come to be seen as hopelessly outdated. His "foco" theory of guerrilla warfare has been overtaken by events, after it had disastrously failed to be applied in several Latin American countries. Guevara himself lost his life in 1967, after a failed guerrilla uprising in Bolivia, in which he attempted to put his theory into practice. Another weakness was that Guevara had generalised a very unique experience, -- the invasion of Cuba, -- into a normative standard for any successful insurrection. To many in the present generation, the idea of revolution has itself come to be seen as a dead-end or, at worst, a joke. Nevertheless, Che's life, a shining spark in the era of protest, violence, idealism and revolution, serves as a lesson in when to revolt, in how to refuse to be treated as an outcast and a servant, and in how dedicated a man can be in his struggle against the unjust social order that tyrannically oppresses its most disadvantaged members. It was not Cohn-Bendit, but Che Guevara whom Jean-Paul Sartre called "the most complete man of his time" in his selfless dedication, his courage, his vision and in the Christ-like sacrifice of his own life for the poor and downtrodden in whom he believed.

I have read many Guerrilla Warfare lit., but this one I would have to say it follows the basic principles that Zedong Mao wrote in his essay on Guerrilla Warfare during the China's FUBAR Communist revolution. Well the book starts out talking about his life. For example, Che is a indian name for boy. Than it goes into the essay itself talking about information, propaganda, terrorism, tactics, and explosives. In addition, the book is based on the Communist Cuba's revolution. Dam the Communists. There like cockroaches you kill one another pops out!!! Well like I sayed earlyer "Know your enemy, Know yourself. And your victory will be not be endanger. Know the Grounds, Know the weather. Your victory will be total." Sun Tzu "The Art of War"

"Through a hundred battles and a hundred victorys, is not the acme of war. Winning without fighting is the acme of war."
Sun Tzu "The Art of War"

Long live President Bush!!!!!!!!