Focusing on the diverse experiences of modern Western counterinsurgency thinking, this book brings together in one volume the important testimonies on the counterinsurgency doctrine (COIN), its development over the centuries, from the late 17th century to the present. The volume is divided into four parts. Part One serves as a framework for some of the types of conflict in which guerrilla warfare has manifested over the centuries. Part Two deals with the protagonists of the Western doctrine, those who have written about it from the late seventeenth century to the present. Part Three is designed to delve into the most important tactical-strategic elements for those about to counter an insurgency. Part Four is dedicated to the real protagonists of small wars, to what their role was, and is, in the dynamics of irregular wars. Western Thoughts of Counterinsurgency: From 17th Century to the Present will be of interest to both undergraduate and postgraduate students and can be used in courses of geopolitics, military history and in the military academies.