Insurgents and Insurgencies Trivia Quiz

Answer: The sympathy of the populace

In order to successfully combat an insurgency, the occupying army should strive to gain the support of the populace. This is the number one goal. Defeating the insurgents is secondary and unnecessary if you gain popular support. This is a lesson that has rarely been heeded, much less learned.

Answer: They brutally suppressed it

The Hungarian Revolution or Uprising of 1956 was brutally suppressed by the Red Army. Although there was popular support nationwide, this never developed into a full fledged prolonged insurgency because of the swiftness in which the Politburo reacted.

In order to ensure that Hungary remained in the Warsaw Pact, all the leaders of revolt who did not flee into exile were either imprisoned or executed. Steps were taken to censor the press and a pro-Soviet government introduced draconian measures to control the populace.

Answer: They both failed

Both of the above mentioned insurgencies failed because they did not have the support of the populace. Because of its brutal methods,the people of Peru distrusted Shining Path guerillas and the Malayans supported the British because of the promise of eventual independence.

Answer: Terrorists

The Algerian nationalist considered themselves freedom fighters; the French considered them terrorists. After a prolonged struggle, France quit Algeria. One man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter.

Answer: The Viet Cong

The National Liberation Front was more commonly known as the Viet Cong or VC by the American soldiers. When they were fighting the French, they were known as the Viet Mihn. Their goals initially were purely nationalistic. Their influence waned after the Tet Offensive of 1968 and North Vietnam played the greater role in prosecuting the war in Vietnam.

Answer: A civil war

The Rhodesian War is considered a civil war between the Rhodesian government and the warring parties of Robert Mugabe's ZANLA and Joshua Nkomo's African People's Union. The results of that conflict ended white rule in that portion of Africa and left Robert Mugabe as the leader of what is now known as Zimbabwe.

Answer: Legitimacy

When the insurgents and the populace feel their cause is legitimate, they become more than willing to see their cause through to the end. This legitimacy can also garner support outside the borders of the conflict.

Answer: Guerrilla warfare

Insurgents use guerrilla warfare as their preferred method to conduct warfare against a conventional army. This form of warfare allows them to neutralize the conventional army's material advantage and to blend into the populace. This form of warfare is difficult for a conventional army because the common soldier can easily lose focus on the big picture; the insurgent who hiding among hundreds is not recognized, only felt and rarely seen and engaged.

Answer: The Bear Trap

The other name for the Soviet Union's fiasco in Afghanistan is 'The Bear Trap'. This is an example of two superpowers waging a war using a proxy. The mujahideen, with help of others, forced the Soviets to withdraw. The Soviets and the Communist backed government made little effort to gain popular support from the Afghans.

The result: the mujahideen eventually gained the initiative as Soviet forces adopted a siege mentality and no longer actively patrolled or sought pacification of the populace.

Answer: It is a failed state

Somalia is an ideal haven for terrorists because it is a failed state. There is a weak to non existant central government, a lack of security or authority other than armed militias who pursue their own agendas. Somalia will remain in a state of lawlessness without a concerted effort by its citizens and the world community.