War and decolonisation: WW2, Indochina, Algeria & Cameroon

Analysis of global and colonial conflicts to distil strategic insights with resonance for 21st century conflict management, resilience and ecological transformation. The study focus is German, Allied and French airborne operations, including Crete (1941), Route Coloniale 4 (1950) Dien Bien Phu (1954) as well the asymmetrical conflicts in Algeria and Cameroon.

Unpacks complexity of conflicts and military disasters to help avoid strategic errors & improve resilience

Analysis of global and colonial conflicts to distil strategic insights with resonance for 21st century conflict management, resilience, and ecological transformation.  The study focus is German, Allied and French airborne operations, including Crete (1941), Route Coloniale 4 (1950) Dien Bien Phu (1954) as well the asymmetrical conflicts in Algeria and Cameroon.  In Indochina, French legitimacy (Sun Tzu's morals) is questionable in the face of pernicious inequality.  In 1954, Navarre makes a series of classical military errors. He launches an airborne operation without effective air dominance (due to distance, weather, and air-asset management constraints). Navarre underestimates Vietnamese determination and adaptability. In contrast, his nemesis, Giap, learns from Na San (1952) and improves his logistical & artillery capabilities. In Algeria, the political implications of the democratic deficit eclipse technical military successes - disrupting terrorist networks, striking rebels on the djebels or spreading destructive psychosis among the wilayas. Today, frustration builds as libertarian regimes struggle to transform societies confronting serious environmental or social challenges. As with colonial regimes, paradigm myopia clouds judgement and vested interests (e.g., consultants, extractive monopolies) resist change.  Pathological communication, subterfuge, and downright deceit muzzle cognitive emancipation.  Consequences include strategic drift or catastrophic mistakes. Re-calibration towards sustainable, balanced communities, enriched by communicative action, impels enlightened administration, independent oversight and robust regulations that hone activity and temper the worst proclivities of deception, racketeering or instrumental exploitation.