The War of the Running Dogs: How Malaya Defeated the Communist Guerrillas 1948-1960

A fascinating account of the war against Communism in Malaysia (1948-1960). How the heroic Malays, Chinese, Philipino, Indian, and British forces defeated the Communist Terrorist incursion on the Malay Peninsula. Win the hearts and minds of the people and you'll win the war. Well written, interesting, exciting. Never a dull page.

Noel Barber's fantastic book, one of the absolute best on counterinsurgency, ever, is a profound explication of one of the historical truths of guerrilla war: In guerrilla war, political superiority defeats military superiority. The Chinese communists never could have prevailed--the Brits forged a strategy for victory in guerrilla war in Malaya from day one that reinforced the already-formidable political power which the Malay Muslims had from jumpstreet. The many bold, pragmatic lessons won in blood in Malaya from 1948-1960 are laid out left, right and center in this great book, which should be required reading at West Point, the US Naval Academy, the US Air Force Academy, the Coast Guard Academy, and at every war college. It is also just a damn fine read, and would be a welcome addition to any History Department and English Department, worldwide. Bravo, Noel Barber. long life and blue skies, Mike Tucker Counterterrorism Specialist and Author Logar, Afghanistan 18 April, 2009

A book that should be read by any national policy maker before placing our noble women and men of our armed forces in harms way!

I was hesitant about purchasing this book but there really is nothing out there on the Malayan insurgency. What makes this even worse is that this is the most often cited counter-insurgency success, and there is nothing written about it. So unfortunately there seems to be no one that knows why it was a success. Here is where this book comes into play, and a good reason to purchase the book. The book does a wonderful job on breaking down all the players in this war, what they did and why. He also looks at the different ethnicities and their motivations for supporting the Communists or British. I have to disagree with the other reviewer this book was a wonderful read and not boring at all, even for a history book. I found myself wanting to know what was going to happen next (i.e. it was addictive to read). On the negatives, this book was written in the '60's (so a little dated), and it is written with an nostalgia tone of the old imperial Britain and its greatness. It ruffled my feathers a bit in the begging but later he tries to correct this tone and for the time period the author really goes out of his to make a case for the other people that were living in this country at the time, their plight and living standards. Overall this book does a wonderful job showing why the counterinsurgency in Malaysia was a success. It is unfortunate the circumstances that brought this book back into circulation, but it is a forgotten work that deserves to be recognized for its contribution to the counterinsurgency, insurgency, terrorism and Malayan history. A very good read.