Alastair Finlan
Biographic Data
| ID | 4491974 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Alastair Finlan |
| GIVEN NAMES | Alastair |
| FAMILY NAME | Finlan |
| SIGNATURE | FINLAN A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Swedish Defence University, Stockholm, Sweden |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9813-903X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 9 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 7 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 9 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2002 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2021 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Critically engaging the concept of joint operations
The term “joint operations” has a particular cachet in the armed forces of the West. Its ubiquity in military language, formations and education from the 1980s onwards suggests that it forms the ba
A dangerous pathway? Toward a theory of special forces
This article explores what is considered by some to be a dangerous pathway: the development of a theory of special forces. The world is now in the third age of special forces and these secret military units are at the forefront of the use of force in international relations. This research identifies a large theory-knowledge gap concerning these military “first responders” for modern nation-states and offers a tentative theory of special forces th…
Contemporary Military Strategy and the Global War on Terror
Contemporary Military Strategy and the Global War on Terror offers an in-depth analysis of US/UK military strategy in Afghanistan and Iraq from 2001 to the present day. It explores the development of contemporary military strategy in the West in the modern age before interrogating its application in the Global War on Terror. The book provides detailed insights into the formulation of military plans by political and military elites in the United S…
The (Arrested) Development of UK Special Forces and the Global War on Terror
The use of force in international relations by the West is increasingly witnessing a greater reliance on Special Forces. This trend has profound implications for state action because Special Forces represent a very different kind of soldier and they possess the inherent ability to transgress traditional boundaries in peace and war. The development and participation of UK Special Forces in the Global War on Terror provides a microcosm of the posit…
Articles
This article reassesses US counter-insurgency strategy in Iraq and argues that its relative lack of success has been due to limited intelligence, a failure to secure political conditions which enhance counter-insurgency and an over-reliance on Israeli counter-insurgency methods. The article suggests that this failure of strategy has been in part due to the high political visibility of neoconservative ideology during the first Bush administration.…
The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War
This book provides a contemporary perspective on one of the most famous and successful war-fighting institutions in the world: the Royal Navy. In doing so, it offers an insight into the relationship between institutional culture and modern warfare, with specific reference to the Falklands War of 1982 and the Gulf War of 1991. In essence, it is a comparative study of the two largest operations since the abortive Suez crisis in 1956."--Jacket
The Gulf War 1991
Warfare by other means
This contribution looks at the role of Special Forces in anti-terrorist operations with particular emphasis on the British Special Air Service. It argues that Special Forces have played a pivotal role in such operations since the era of Palestinian terrorism in the early 1970s. The essay looks at the operations in Afghanistan leading to the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001 and shows that the seven Special Forces involved there proved crucial to t…
British Special Forces in the Falklands War of 1982
This article explores the role of British Special Forces in the Falklands War of 1982 and argues that they played an indispensable part in the British victory. The concepts underpinning British Special Forces today can be linked to ideas developed in World War II (to influence strategy by unconventional means) which subsequently underwent significant redevelopment during the Cold War. The tremendous difficulties posed by the military campaign dur…
Articles
This article reassesses US counter-insurgency strategy in Iraq and argues that its relative lack of success has been due to limited intelligence, a failure to secure political conditions which enhance counter-insurgency and an over-reliance on Israeli counter-insurgency methods. The article suggests that this failure of strategy has been in part due to the high political visibility of neoconservative ideology during the first Bush administration.…
Warfare by other means
This contribution looks at the role of Special Forces in anti-terrorist operations with particular emphasis on the British Special Air Service. It argues that Special Forces have played a pivotal role in such operations since the era of Palestinian terrorism in the early 1970s. The essay looks at the operations in Afghanistan leading to the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001 and shows that the seven Special Forces involved there proved crucial to t…
A dangerous pathway? Toward a theory of special forces
This article explores what is considered by some to be a dangerous pathway: the development of a theory of special forces. The world is now in the third age of special forces and these secret military units are at the forefront of the use of force in international relations. This research identifies a large theory-knowledge gap concerning these military “first responders” for modern nation-states and offers a tentative theory of special forces th…
The (Arrested) Development of UK Special Forces and the Global War on Terror
The use of force in international relations by the West is increasingly witnessing a greater reliance on Special Forces. This trend has profound implications for state action because Special Forces represent a very different kind of soldier and they possess the inherent ability to transgress traditional boundaries in peace and war. The development and participation of UK Special Forces in the Global War on Terror provides a microcosm of the posit…
British Special Forces in the Falklands War of 1982
This article explores the role of British Special Forces in the Falklands War of 1982 and argues that they played an indispensable part in the British victory. The concepts underpinning British Special Forces today can be linked to ideas developed in World War II (to influence strategy by unconventional means) which subsequently underwent significant redevelopment during the Cold War. The tremendous difficulties posed by the military campaign dur…
The Gulf War 1991
Warfare by other means
This contribution looks at the role of Special Forces in anti-terrorist operations with particular emphasis on the British Special Air Service. It argues that Special Forces have played a pivotal role in such operations since the era of Palestinian terrorism in the early 1970s. The essay looks at the operations in Afghanistan leading to the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001 and shows that the seven Special Forces involved there proved crucial to t…
The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War
This book provides a contemporary perspective on one of the most famous and successful war-fighting institutions in the world: the Royal Navy. In doing so, it offers an insight into the relationship between institutional culture and modern warfare, with specific reference to the Falklands War of 1982 and the Gulf War of 1991. In essence, it is a comparative study of the two largest operations since the abortive Suez crisis in 1956."--Jacket
Articles
This article reassesses US counter-insurgency strategy in Iraq and argues that its relative lack of success has been due to limited intelligence, a failure to secure political conditions which enhance counter-insurgency and an over-reliance on Israeli counter-insurgency methods. The article suggests that this failure of strategy has been in part due to the high political visibility of neoconservative ideology during the first Bush administration.…
The (Arrested) Development of UK Special Forces and the Global War on Terror
The use of force in international relations by the West is increasingly witnessing a greater reliance on Special Forces. This trend has profound implications for state action because Special Forces represent a very different kind of soldier and they possess the inherent ability to transgress traditional boundaries in peace and war. The development and participation of UK Special Forces in the Global War on Terror provides a microcosm of the posit…
Contemporary Military Strategy and the Global War on Terror
Contemporary Military Strategy and the Global War on Terror offers an in-depth analysis of US/UK military strategy in Afghanistan and Iraq from 2001 to the present day. It explores the development of contemporary military strategy in the West in the modern age before interrogating its application in the Global War on Terror. The book provides detailed insights into the formulation of military plans by political and military elites in the United S…
A dangerous pathway? Toward a theory of special forces
This article explores what is considered by some to be a dangerous pathway: the development of a theory of special forces. The world is now in the third age of special forces and these secret military units are at the forefront of the use of force in international relations. This research identifies a large theory-knowledge gap concerning these military “first responders” for modern nation-states and offers a tentative theory of special forces th…
Critically engaging the concept of joint operations
The term “joint operations” has a particular cachet in the armed forces of the West. Its ubiquity in military language, formations and education from the 1980s onwards suggests that it forms the ba
Political science (7 works) · Sociology (7 works) · Military History and Strategy (6 works) · Law (5 works) · Political economy (5 works) · Law (4 works) · Politics (4 works) · Engineering (3 works) · Intelligence, Security, War Strategy (3 works) · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East (3 works)