Robin Simcox

Bio: Robin Simcox is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Battle. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 3 publications receiving 18 citations.

Shooting out of Love: A Case Study on Kurdish Guerrillas in the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party)

Abstract: ...................................................................................................................... xvii Chapter 1: Introduction & Historical Context ................................................................ 1 An Epigraphic Poem .................................................................................................. 1 Original Definitions ................................................................................................... 2 General Synopsis ....................................................................................................... 3 Universally Defining a Guerrilla ............................................................................... 6 PKK Origins in Oppression ..................................................................................... 40 Who are the Kurds? A Basic Overview .............................................................. 40 From Noah & Kawa to Turkey (before 1922) .................................................... 44 Atatürk leads to Apoism (1923-1977) ................................................................ 56 Öcalan’s Vision & Creation (1978-1983) ........................................................... 84 Resisting Turkish Genocide (1984-1993) ......................................................... 103 Turkey’s Corrupt State Terrorism (1994-1998) ................................................ 130 Arrest & Enduring Injustice (1999-2004) ......................................................... 155 From KCK & Qandil to Rebirth (2005-2013) .................................................. 163 PKK Saves Êzidîs, Turkey Arms ISIS (2014-2016) ......................................... 188

Frantz Fanon in Italy: Or, Historicizing Fanon

Abstract: This introduction to the special issue on ‘Frantz Fanon in Italy’ provides an overview of Fanon's influence on Italian intellectual and political life, with special focus on the significant impact his writings had on the renovation of the Italian Left in the 1960s, as well as highlighting the continuities between Italian anti-fascism and anticolonialism. Fanon's Italian reception is interesting for postcolonial scholars in that it differs from the Anglo-American tradition of Fanonian scholarship, and reveals a ‘pre-postcolonial’ Fanon, prior to his revival through the ‘symptomatic readings’ of Homi Bhabha, Stuart Hall and other theorists in the 1980s. I also discuss the editorial history of Fanon's publication in Italian; Italy was the first country after France in which Fanon's work appeared, and Giovanni Pirelli's 1971 edition of Fanon's writings, Opere scelte, is possibly the only anthology that presents a selection of essays culled from Fanon's different texts. The Italian Fanon, then, not only offers...

Why Irregulars Win: Asymmetry of Motivations and the Outcomes of Irregular Warfare

Abstract: : The U.S. military is first-rate, yet it struggles to fight and win irregular wars. Surprisingly, throughout the course of history great powers have had difficulty with small wars. One must ask then, why and how do irregulars win as often as they do? The answer to this question will enable the United States to support irregulars more effectively, and defeat irregulars more efficiently. This thesis considers seventeen irregular conflicts between WWII and the present day to determine why irregulars win when they do, and how asymmetries of motivation can affect the outcome of irregular wars. A mixed methodology, including heuristics, process tracing, and comparison of case studies is used to evaluate irregular wars and the motivations of the combatants. The findings suggest that asymmetries of motivation only partially explain why irregulars succeed. Irregulars can succeed when motivations are symmetric as well as asymmetric. Internal conflicts that exhibited symmetrical motivation were often long, bloody, and costly affairs resolved primarily by negotiations. Alternatively, when asymmetries of motivation have existed, the weak were able to influence intrinsic and extrinsic motivations to coerce their adversaries to quit. Ultimately, the findings from this thesis indicate that opinion and public support significantly influence an actors motivation and will to fight. In light of this, this thesis suggests that SOF should focus on advising irregulars to shape opinions and perceptions to undermine their opponents will to fight. Furthermore, the U.S. government should focus more on the application of political and psychological warfare to enable U.S. SOF operations in support of both counterinsurgency and unconventional warfare operations.

Challenging the “Lone Wolf” Phenomenon in an Era of Information Overload

Abstract: The phenomenon of individual Islamic terrorist attacks (“Lone Wolf”) taking place in Europe, the United States, and Israel raises questions about the ability of intelligence agencies to prevent suc...