Publication

This paper looks at how the work of the Roman historian Tacitus, particularly his eulogy of Agricola, can inform our understanding of counterinsurgency today. In particular, the author outlines Agricola's counterinsurgency: build a reputation for strength, self-restraint, and order; defeat the enemy but make peace attractive; keep military supremacy, but assimilate the conquered population. He then goes on to argue that Roman counterinsurgency was not a momentary approach, but a constant posture for managing a perennial condition.