Turning Tactical Victories into Strategic Success: Counterinsurgency in the Irish Civil War, 1922–23
Abstract
The fundamentals the Irish National Army used in the Irish Civil War (1922–23) are a model for the successful application of a classic counterinsurgency which, if understood earlier, could have made a difference in the United States’ most recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Irish Civil War has not been examined in-depth through the lens of modern counterinsurgency doctrine. This article draws on military history and recent counterinsurgency doctrines to provide US policymakers and military practitioners practical guidance for how counterinsurgent forces can foster trust and use appropriate tactics that lead to strategic success.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.55540/0031-1723.3396
Recommended Citation
Gareth Prendergast & John A. Nagl, "Turning Tactical Victories into Strategic Success: Counterinsurgency in the Irish Civil War, 1922–23," Parameters 56, no. 2 (2026), doi:10.55540/0031-1723.3396.
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