Roger Trinquier is a paratrooper officer who played a leading role in the Battle of Algiers in 1957. Author of several books in the 60s, he is known as one of the major theoreticians of counter-insurgency practice to combat terrorism.
His theories have been taken as a model and taught by the American army for decades. This work presents an unpublished text by this officer. It offers an exciting insight into three facts: Firstly, the Algerian War as thought by one of its most remarkable protagonists; secondly, the reshaping of French theories on “revolutionary war” following the Battle of Algiers (1957); and finally, the emergence of reflection on the specificities of terrorism, long before the appearance of Terrorism Studies in the late 1960s.
Therefore, his importance surpasses the conjunctural moment of the Algerian War and its “memory”. An essential document, relevant today to understand the beginnings of the long history of terrorism studies.
Guest: Daniel Dory. Show presented by Ludovic François.
