David Galula: His Life and Intellectual Context

This monograph attempts to place David Galulas intellectual achievement in relation to both his life experiences and his time. It is not an assessment of the worth of his ideas, though it may be useful for those who wish to make such an evaluation. The beginning of this monograph consists of three sections that discuss the history of Galulas two books, Counterinsurgency Warfare Theory and Practice and Pacification in Algeria. The first section outlines the less-than-straightforward publication history of the books and their initial reception. The second section looks at the context in which they appeared the early 1960s flourishing of writing on counterinsurgency. In the third section, Generals Charles Krulak Marine Combined Action Platoons CAP and Edward Lansdale are presented as the ancestors of todays population-centric COIN. The remainder of the monograph has six sections that outline in chronological order what is known about Galulas life. This account is based mainly on the authors interviews, along with some archival research and a recently published French masters thesis. The first section covers Galulas birth to his service in World War II. The second section follows him through his journey to the East, his years in revolutionary China where he forged his thoughts on COIN. The third section, Countering Mao, discusses how Galula and his contemporary counterinsurgency theorists consciously aimed at defeating Maos doctrine of revolutionary war. In the fourth section, Galulas time in Greece and Hong Kong is discussed. The fifth section concerns the rise of guerre revolutionnaire theory among senior officers in the French Army and the relationship of Galulas thought to this body of work. The sixth section follows Galula during his 2-year command in Algeria, and the last section discusses his final years, including his work in the United States, his publication of a novel, and his untimely death.