Guerrila Style Attacks

To fully understand how Debray was able to modify Guevara’s theory of guerrilla war, one must understand the history of guerrilla war and how it has changed overtime. Ganor believes that Guerrillas attack military and security forces as well as political leadership. However, do not be confused with terrorist groups, they attack civilians in order send a symbolic message (pg 6). Although Eric Reitan would argue that Guerrila style attacks could be considered terroristic because security forces, and political leaders are a target group, therefore, can be classified as a terroristic approach to accomplish an end result (pg 6). During the Napoleonic Wars, Spanish armies would utilize the guerrilla approach by murdering “off-duty soldiers, attack

supply columns, and engage in hit-and run tactics” (pg 9). Thus similar to Guevara’s theory of guerrilla war (pg 48).
Based on Guevara-style guerrilla war there are three phases: phase one, isolation of the groups; phase two, the isolated groups then form guerrilla columns, and phase three, the columns form into a conventional army (pg 48). Guevara demonstrated this by keeping governmental forces off balance, by terrorizing them in places otherwise seen as safe zones. By doing this would keep governmental forces on their toes never allowing them to rest, slowing demoralizing the government. Debray takes Guevara theory of guerrilla war and modifies it to what Debray believes will work. Debray and Guevara both believe that poverty is responsible for the imbalance in class structure, and as a resolute resolution is necessary. However, both do not agree on how revolution should be achieved thru guerrilla warfare. Debray believes in order to achieve revolution and change the socioeconomic status of each citizen by redistributing the wealth among citizens; terrorism must be avoided. In Debray modified work on revolution, guerrilla war may be used for fighting for certain justices but in order to accomplish ones revolution, it must end with a “united conventional force” that cannot be attained thru terrorism but rather some sort of strong party or group that works to maintain the original ideologies that triggered the need for a revolution (pg 49).