Illusions of Control - (Columbia Studies in Terrorism and Irregular Warfare) by Erica L Gaston

About the Book

Drawing on extensive field research and hundreds of interviews with stakeholders, Erica L. Gaston unpacks the challenges of attempting to control proxy forces in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.

Book Synopsis

Over the last two decades, the United States has supported a range of militias, rebels, and other armed groups in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. Critics have argued that such partnerships have many perils, from enabling human rights abuses to seeding future threats. Policy makers, however, have sought to mitigate the risks of partnering with irregular armed groups. Militia group leaders in far-flung corners of these war-torn countries were subjected to background checks and instructed about international law and human rights, and their funding was cut when they crossed red lines. To what extent have such mechanisms curbed the dangers of proxy warfare, and what unforeseen consequences has this approach unleashed?

Drawing on a decade of field research and hundreds of interviews with stakeholders, Erica L. Gaston unpacks the dilemmas of attempting to control proxy forces. She demonstrates that, although the tools U.S. policy makers used to constrain partners' behavior increased in number and sophistication, they never fully addressed the range of political, security, and legal concerns surrounding these forces. Moreover, by shifting policy makers' calculations, the use of proxy forces introduced additional moral hazards and may have enabled riskier decision making. Featuring substantial empirical detail and close analysis of key internal debates, Illusions of Control offers new perspectives on some of the most significant and controversial elements of recent U.S. security policy. In addition to nuanced insights about proxy relationships, this book provides a novel analytical toolkit for exploring transnational bargaining and foreign policy deliberations in hybrid political environments.

Review Quotes

Gaston provides a valuable perspective on the moral hazards and strategic pitfalls of partnerships forged in war. The author's firsthand experience in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria allows her to go far beyond academic theory as she explores how working with militias and rebel groups without due attention to divergent interests can complicate war fighting, state building, and efforts to establish enduring peace and security.--H.R. McMaster, author of Dereliction of Duty and Battlegrounds

An excellent analysis of some of the complications surrounding trying to control proxy forces...The book is highly recommended.-- "Defense & Security Analysis"

For years, Gaston has been a leading fieldwork researcher on paramilitary groups, militias, local governance, and violent internal conflicts. Her impressive on-the-ground research in Afghanistan, Iraq, and beyond has often revealed crucial dynamics escaping established policy. Her excellent book masterfully challenges policy dogma, but does so with nuance, objectivity, and deep appreciation for regional variation.--Vanda Felbab-Brown, director of the Initiative on Nonstate Armed Actors and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution

One of the defining features of today's armed conflicts is the growing the role of proxy and irregular forces. This is an important and timely book, which traces the trajectory of U.S. engagement with non-state and substate forces in three major arenas of conflict. It reveals in forensic detail the tensions and trade-offs involved in supporting such groups while simultaneously attempting to control and restrain them. The book--based on meticulous empirical research--serves as a warning to the United States and others about the baleful legacies created by partnering with those who have blood on their hands for the sake of short-term security goals.--Jonathan Goodhand, professor in conflict and development studies, SOAS University of London

This book is a grim but necessary autopsy of America's policy failures. The United States believed it could manage the risks of recruiting militias as proxy forces in the Middle East. With intrepid field research, extensive interviews, and sharp analytical thinking, Gaston shows why these efforts often proved ineffective or counterproductive.--Ariel I. Ahram, School of Public and International Affairs at Virginia Tech

About the Author

Erica L. Gaston is senior policy advisor and head of the Conflict Prevention and Sustaining Peace Programme at the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research. She is also an adjunct assistant professor at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and a nonresident fellow at both the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Global Public Policy Institute.