Thomas A Marks
Biographic Data
| ID | 1249293 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Thomas A Marks |
| GIVEN NAMES | Thomas A |
| FAMILY NAME | Marks |
| SIGNATURE | MARKS T A |
| AFFILIATIONS | College of International Security Affairs (CISA), National Defense University (NDU), Washington, DC, USA |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3614-6127 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 28 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 62 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 28 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1973 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Afterword
This afterword assesses some of the themes and issues dealt with in this issue in light of the Iran War that exploded on 28 February 2026. It is in two sections: the first outlines the war itself and the shift that has occurred, at least temporarily, in the Middle East region. The second section identifies five major themes for future research in military studies in light of the war. These are: 1) an enhanced focus on ‘strong men’ in modern polit…
Irregular Warfare (IW) and the Gray Zone
This special issue seeks to investigate the impact of the second Trump presidency (Trump II) upon aspects of Irregular Warfare (IW) as a period of intensified Gray Zone conflict unfolds. That is, t
Lutheran Music and the Thirty Years War
A book review is presented for Lutheran Music and the Thirty Years War: Confession, Politics, Devotion, authored by Derek L. Stauff, by Thomas Marks
Counterinsurgency as fad
The counterinsurgency era that dominated American military discussion post-9/11 has passed. The desire to move on, particularly since the loss of Afghanistan in August 2021, has left unsettled a conversation on counterinsurgency that, both among supporters and detractors, was often dangerously narrow. Too hastily embraced and too rapidly abandoned, counterinsurgency generated false promises and then became the scapegoat for poor strategy. This ar…
Singing Repentance In Lutheran Germany During The Thirty Years War (1618–1648)
During the Thirty Years War (1618–48), it was widely understood within Germany that sin had brought the wrath of God to the Empire in the form of war. In order to instil peace, Christendom needed to demonstrate its repentance; this article illustrates the role that music played in this process. Focusing on Lutheran Saxony and the free-imperial city of Nuremberg, I analyse music’s liturgical role in specially mandated Days of Prayer and Repentance…
Gray zone in red
With the United States having shifted its defense emphasis to peer and near-peer rivals, study of irregular warfare has likewise expanded its scope to applicable lessons for the strategic level, wi
Perspectives on the American way of war
Strategically, adaptation to insurgent challenges invariably proves difficult. Not only must the precise nature of the threat be discerned, but adaptation must occur even as the conflict develops
Violence in context
The malaise that the United States, and the West, have experienced in recent campaigns stems in large part from unclear thinking about war, its political essence, and the strategies needed to join the two. Instead, analysis and response are predicated on entrenched theoretical concepts with limited practical utility. The inadequacy of understanding has spawned new, and not so new, terms to capture unanticipated trends, starting with the re-discov…
Looking in
There are times when it seems the Thai southern insurgency will just fade away. Then, as in April (2017), an explosion of violence reminds the world that the challenge remains.In the case at hand
Farc, 1982-2002
Recent controversy during the conclusion of peace talks has renewed discussion as to the nature of the effort by Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, or FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), to seize state power. FARC presents itself as an insurgency produced by societal imperfections and purports to speak for the marginalized and alienated of Colombia. Critics contend that FARC is a ruthless narcoterrorist organization that has …
Terrorism as Method in Nepali Maoist Insurgency, 1996-2016
During the period 1996–2006, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) waged overt people’s war to seize state power and institute a new order that realized the party’s understanding of ‘New Democracy’ as posited by Mao Tse-tung. Contextual shifts led to a crucial strategic turning point in September 2005, when the Maoists agreed to a united front with estranged legal parties to oust the monarchy and establish a republic. Though touted as acceptance …
Back to the future - people's war in the 21st century
Keywords: BoliviaFARCHo Chi MinhChe GuevaraLin Biaomass lineVo Nguyen GiapMao ZedongMaoismpeople’s warSendero Luminoso
A la cima sobre los hombros del diablo
To the Top on the Shoulders of the Devil is a comprehensive narrative history of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, from its unofficial emergence as part of a liberal guerrilla ef
Colombia
From 1965 to the present, Colombia has been confronted by the insurgency of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The threat reached a new level in 1996 with the advent of mobile warfare, whereby large units sought to neutralize the military in an effort to seize power and institute a Marxist-Leninist regime. Unlike Vietnam, what followed was a regaining of the strategic initiative by the government and a decimation of the insurgent …
Recent titles dealing with Indian and Nepali Maoists
Chakravarti, Sudeep. Red Sun: Travels in Naxalite Country. Revised ed. New York: Penguin, 2009.Much like the work of Arundhati Roy (below), a journalist uses his access to the Maoists to explore th
Maoist Insurgency Since Vietnam
This is an analysis of revolutions based on the Maoist Mode. These insurgencies failed, having been successfully contained by their governments. How did the world's strongest power - America - fail where Third World governments have succeeded?
Taliban and Anti-Taliban
"Taliban and Anti-Taliban." Small Wars & Insurgencies, 23(3), pp. 569–570 Notes 1. Notable is Goldberg and Ambinder, ‘The Ally From Hell’. The piece opens with the memorable lines: ‘Pakistan lies. It hosted Osama bin Laden (knowingly or not). Its government is barely functional. It hates the democracy next door. It is home to both radical jihadists and a large and growing nuclear arsenal (which it fears the U.S. will seize). Its intelligence serv…
Colombian Military Support for ‘Democratic Security’
Building upon a far-reaching reform movement carried out during the administration of Andres Pastrana (1998–2002), the Colombian military emerged in the Alvaro Uribe first term (2002–06) as a powerful, flexible organization capable of implementing a national strategy for successful counterinsurgency. Sweeping organizational change was accompanied by advances in operational art and tactics, as well as the promotion of new leadership tested in comb…
Ideology of Insurgency
Scholars disagree on the prevailing focus on insurgent ideology. Some claim that the dominant Marxist ideology of the Cold War era has been supplanted by a new focus on ethnic and national identity. Others claim that many insurgencies were always focused on identity, but the Cold War and superpower antipathies distorted perceptions of insurgencies as politically-economically focused. Yet the heart of the matter is that analysts are not faced with…
Urban Insurgency
Urban insurgency has generally been presented by analysts and security force personnel as a distinct variant. In contrast, insurgents themselves have often recognized the particular requirements of two dissimilar but related approaches of operation, the urban and rural. Hence they have sought to field approaches and doctrine that exploited the specifics of each. In some cases, simply debating such has led to internal fractures that could not be o…
Evaluating insurgent/counterinsurgent performance
Evaluating Insurgent/Counterinsurgent Performance ‘starts on the streets’, so to speak. Specifically, the five rules of assessment are common sense: (1) become familiar with the area in question; (2) slice up the analytical target into manageable slices; (3) carry out longitudinal studies; (4) look at the role played by ideas in this political warfare; and (5) assess the relationship between structural and purposive elements. Though various effor…
Strategic trends in Asia
(1996). Strategic trends in Asia. Small Wars & Insurgencies: Vol. 7, The Role of Special Forces in Multinational Peace Operations, pp. 79-84
Many People Come, Looking, Looking
October 1976 and the Role of the Military in Thai Politics
Faced with the progression of events outlined above, it is small wonder that observers of the Thai political scene at times are a bit baffled as to precisely what is transpiring in the kingdom's continued search for a stable political future. Yet beneath the headlines and seemingly blatant military power grabbing lies a web of internal happenings which is not only in a sense predictable, but to which there is an order and a fitful progress toward…
Spanish Sahara—background to Conflict
Journal Article SPANISH SAHARA—BACKGROUND TO CONFLICT Get access THOMAS A. MARKS THOMAS A. MARKS The author contributed an article on 'Djibouti: France's strategic toehold in Africa' toAfrican Affairs 73 (January 1974), pp. 95–104 Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar African Affairs, Volume 75, Issue 298, January 1976, Pages 3–13, https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a096697 Published: 01 January 1976
Violence in context
The malaise that the United States, and the West, have experienced in recent campaigns stems in large part from unclear thinking about war, its political essence, and the strategies needed to join the two. Instead, analysis and response are predicated on entrenched theoretical concepts with limited practical utility. The inadequacy of understanding has spawned new, and not so new, terms to capture unanticipated trends, starting with the re-discov…
Colombia
From 1965 to the present, Colombia has been confronted by the insurgency of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The threat reached a new level in 1996 with the advent of mobile warfare, whereby large units sought to neutralize the military in an effort to seize power and institute a Marxist-Leninist regime. Unlike Vietnam, what followed was a regaining of the strategic initiative by the government and a decimation of the insurgent …
Farc, 1982-2002
Recent controversy during the conclusion of peace talks has renewed discussion as to the nature of the effort by Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, or FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), to seize state power. FARC presents itself as an insurgency produced by societal imperfections and purports to speak for the marginalized and alienated of Colombia. Critics contend that FARC is a ruthless narcoterrorist organization that has …
Colombian Military Support for ‘Democratic Security’
Building upon a far-reaching reform movement carried out during the administration of Andres Pastrana (1998–2002), the Colombian military emerged in the Alvaro Uribe first term (2002–06) as a powerful, flexible organization capable of implementing a national strategy for successful counterinsurgency. Sweeping organizational change was accompanied by advances in operational art and tactics, as well as the promotion of new leadership tested in comb…
Ideology of Insurgency
Scholars disagree on the prevailing focus on insurgent ideology. Some claim that the dominant Marxist ideology of the Cold War era has been supplanted by a new focus on ethnic and national identity. Others claim that many insurgencies were always focused on identity, but the Cold War and superpower antipathies distorted perceptions of insurgencies as politically-economically focused. Yet the heart of the matter is that analysts are not faced with…
Urban Insurgency
Urban insurgency has generally been presented by analysts and security force personnel as a distinct variant. In contrast, insurgents themselves have often recognized the particular requirements of two dissimilar but related approaches of operation, the urban and rural. Hence they have sought to field approaches and doctrine that exploited the specifics of each. In some cases, simply debating such has led to internal fractures that could not be o…
The Meo Hill Tribe Problem in North Thailand
Research Article| October 01 1973 The Meo Hill Tribe Problem in North Thailand Thomas A. Marks Thomas A. Marks Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Far Eastern Survey (1944) 13 (10): 929–944. https://doi.org/10.2307/2643003 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site C…
Terrorism as Method in Nepali Maoist Insurgency, 1996-2016
During the period 1996–2006, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) waged overt people’s war to seize state power and institute a new order that realized the party’s understanding of ‘New Democracy’ as posited by Mao Tse-tung. Contextual shifts led to a crucial strategic turning point in September 2005, when the Maoists agreed to a united front with estranged legal parties to oust the monarchy and establish a republic. Though touted as acceptance …
Back to the future - people's war in the 21st century
Keywords: BoliviaFARCHo Chi MinhChe GuevaraLin Biaomass lineVo Nguyen GiapMao ZedongMaoismpeople’s warSendero Luminoso
Counterinsurgency as fad
The counterinsurgency era that dominated American military discussion post-9/11 has passed. The desire to move on, particularly since the loss of Afghanistan in August 2021, has left unsettled a conversation on counterinsurgency that, both among supporters and detractors, was often dangerously narrow. Too hastily embraced and too rapidly abandoned, counterinsurgency generated false promises and then became the scapegoat for poor strategy. This ar…
Gray zone in red
With the United States having shifted its defense emphasis to peer and near-peer rivals, study of irregular warfare has likewise expanded its scope to applicable lessons for the strategic level, wi
October 1976 and the Role of the Military in Thai Politics
Faced with the progression of events outlined above, it is small wonder that observers of the Thai political scene at times are a bit baffled as to precisely what is transpiring in the kingdom's continued search for a stable political future. Yet beneath the headlines and seemingly blatant military power grabbing lies a web of internal happenings which is not only in a sense predictable, but to which there is an order and a fitful progress toward…
Djibouti
Journal Article DJIBOUTI: FRANCE'S STRATEGIC TOEHOLD IN AFRICA Get access THOMAS A. MARKS THOMAS A. MARKS Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar African Affairs, Volume 73, Issue 290, January 1974, Pages 95–104, https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a096459 Published: 01 January 1974
Sino-Thai relations
Perspectives on the American way of war
Strategically, adaptation to insurgent challenges invariably proves difficult. Not only must the precise nature of the threat be discerned, but adaptation must occur even as the conflict develops
Recent titles dealing with Indian and Nepali Maoists
Chakravarti, Sudeep. Red Sun: Travels in Naxalite Country. Revised ed. New York: Penguin, 2009.Much like the work of Arundhati Roy (below), a journalist uses his access to the Maoists to explore th
Spanish Sahara—background to Conflict
Journal Article SPANISH SAHARA—BACKGROUND TO CONFLICT Get access THOMAS A. MARKS THOMAS A. MARKS The author contributed an article on 'Djibouti: France's strategic toehold in Africa' toAfrican Affairs 73 (January 1974), pp. 95–104 Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar African Affairs, Volume 75, Issue 298, January 1976, Pages 3–13, https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a096697 Published: 01 January 1976
The Meo Hill Tribe Problem in North Thailand
Research Article| October 01 1973 The Meo Hill Tribe Problem in North Thailand Thomas A. Marks Thomas A. Marks Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Far Eastern Survey (1944) 13 (10): 929–944. https://doi.org/10.2307/2643003 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site C…
Djibouti
Journal Article DJIBOUTI: FRANCE'S STRATEGIC TOEHOLD IN AFRICA Get access THOMAS A. MARKS THOMAS A. MARKS Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar African Affairs, Volume 73, Issue 290, January 1974, Pages 95–104, https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a096459 Published: 01 January 1974
Sino-Thai relations
Spanish Sahara—background to Conflict
Journal Article SPANISH SAHARA—BACKGROUND TO CONFLICT Get access THOMAS A. MARKS THOMAS A. MARKS The author contributed an article on 'Djibouti: France's strategic toehold in Africa' toAfrican Affairs 73 (January 1974), pp. 95–104 Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar African Affairs, Volume 75, Issue 298, January 1976, Pages 3–13, https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a096697 Published: 01 January 1976
October 1976 and the Role of the Military in Thai Politics
Faced with the progression of events outlined above, it is small wonder that observers of the Thai political scene at times are a bit baffled as to precisely what is transpiring in the kingdom's continued search for a stable political future. Yet beneath the headlines and seemingly blatant military power grabbing lies a web of internal happenings which is not only in a sense predictable, but to which there is an order and a fitful progress toward…
Many People Come, Looking, Looking
Strategic trends in Asia
(1996). Strategic trends in Asia. Small Wars & Insurgencies: Vol. 7, The Role of Special Forces in Multinational Peace Operations, pp. 79-84
Evaluating insurgent/counterinsurgent performance
Evaluating Insurgent/Counterinsurgent Performance ‘starts on the streets’, so to speak. Specifically, the five rules of assessment are common sense: (1) become familiar with the area in question; (2) slice up the analytical target into manageable slices; (3) carry out longitudinal studies; (4) look at the role played by ideas in this political warfare; and (5) assess the relationship between structural and purposive elements. Though various effor…
Urban Insurgency
Urban insurgency has generally been presented by analysts and security force personnel as a distinct variant. In contrast, insurgents themselves have often recognized the particular requirements of two dissimilar but related approaches of operation, the urban and rural. Hence they have sought to field approaches and doctrine that exploited the specifics of each. In some cases, simply debating such has led to internal fractures that could not be o…
Ideology of Insurgency
Scholars disagree on the prevailing focus on insurgent ideology. Some claim that the dominant Marxist ideology of the Cold War era has been supplanted by a new focus on ethnic and national identity. Others claim that many insurgencies were always focused on identity, but the Cold War and superpower antipathies distorted perceptions of insurgencies as politically-economically focused. Yet the heart of the matter is that analysts are not faced with…
Colombian Military Support for ‘Democratic Security’
Building upon a far-reaching reform movement carried out during the administration of Andres Pastrana (1998–2002), the Colombian military emerged in the Alvaro Uribe first term (2002–06) as a powerful, flexible organization capable of implementing a national strategy for successful counterinsurgency. Sweeping organizational change was accompanied by advances in operational art and tactics, as well as the promotion of new leadership tested in comb…
Maoist Insurgency Since Vietnam
This is an analysis of revolutions based on the Maoist Mode. These insurgencies failed, having been successfully contained by their governments. How did the world's strongest power - America - fail where Third World governments have succeeded?
Taliban and Anti-Taliban
"Taliban and Anti-Taliban." Small Wars & Insurgencies, 23(3), pp. 569–570 Notes 1. Notable is Goldberg and Ambinder, ‘The Ally From Hell’. The piece opens with the memorable lines: ‘Pakistan lies. It hosted Osama bin Laden (knowingly or not). Its government is barely functional. It hates the democracy next door. It is home to both radical jihadists and a large and growing nuclear arsenal (which it fears the U.S. will seize). Its intelligence serv…
Colombia
From 1965 to the present, Colombia has been confronted by the insurgency of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The threat reached a new level in 1996 with the advent of mobile warfare, whereby large units sought to neutralize the military in an effort to seize power and institute a Marxist-Leninist regime. Unlike Vietnam, what followed was a regaining of the strategic initiative by the government and a decimation of the insurgent …
Recent titles dealing with Indian and Nepali Maoists
Chakravarti, Sudeep. Red Sun: Travels in Naxalite Country. Revised ed. New York: Penguin, 2009.Much like the work of Arundhati Roy (below), a journalist uses his access to the Maoists to explore th
A la cima sobre los hombros del diablo
To the Top on the Shoulders of the Devil is a comprehensive narrative history of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, from its unofficial emergence as part of a liberal guerrilla ef
Farc, 1982-2002
Recent controversy during the conclusion of peace talks has renewed discussion as to the nature of the effort by Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, or FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), to seize state power. FARC presents itself as an insurgency produced by societal imperfections and purports to speak for the marginalized and alienated of Colombia. Critics contend that FARC is a ruthless narcoterrorist organization that has …
Terrorism as Method in Nepali Maoist Insurgency, 1996-2016
During the period 1996–2006, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) waged overt people’s war to seize state power and institute a new order that realized the party’s understanding of ‘New Democracy’ as posited by Mao Tse-tung. Contextual shifts led to a crucial strategic turning point in September 2005, when the Maoists agreed to a united front with estranged legal parties to oust the monarchy and establish a republic. Though touted as acceptance …
Back to the future - people's war in the 21st century
Keywords: BoliviaFARCHo Chi MinhChe GuevaraLin Biaomass lineVo Nguyen GiapMao ZedongMaoismpeople’s warSendero Luminoso
Violence in context
The malaise that the United States, and the West, have experienced in recent campaigns stems in large part from unclear thinking about war, its political essence, and the strategies needed to join the two. Instead, analysis and response are predicated on entrenched theoretical concepts with limited practical utility. The inadequacy of understanding has spawned new, and not so new, terms to capture unanticipated trends, starting with the re-discov…
Looking in
There are times when it seems the Thai southern insurgency will just fade away. Then, as in April (2017), an explosion of violence reminds the world that the challenge remains.In the case at hand
Perspectives on the American way of war
Strategically, adaptation to insurgent challenges invariably proves difficult. Not only must the precise nature of the threat be discerned, but adaptation must occur even as the conflict develops
Gray zone in red
With the United States having shifted its defense emphasis to peer and near-peer rivals, study of irregular warfare has likewise expanded its scope to applicable lessons for the strategic level, wi
Singing Repentance In Lutheran Germany During The Thirty Years War (1618–1648)
During the Thirty Years War (1618–48), it was widely understood within Germany that sin had brought the wrath of God to the Empire in the form of war. In order to instil peace, Christendom needed to demonstrate its repentance; this article illustrates the role that music played in this process. Focusing on Lutheran Saxony and the free-imperial city of Nuremberg, I analyse music’s liturgical role in specially mandated Days of Prayer and Repentance…
Counterinsurgency as fad
The counterinsurgency era that dominated American military discussion post-9/11 has passed. The desire to move on, particularly since the loss of Afghanistan in August 2021, has left unsettled a conversation on counterinsurgency that, both among supporters and detractors, was often dangerously narrow. Too hastily embraced and too rapidly abandoned, counterinsurgency generated false promises and then became the scapegoat for poor strategy. This ar…
Political science (24 works) · Law (17 works) · Sociology (17 works) · Political economy (15 works) · Politics (14 works) · Insurgency (10 works) · History (9 works) · Law (9 works) · Democracy (6 works) · Military History and Strategy (6 works)