What does modern resistance actually look like?

In this episode, we examine Understanding Resistance, part of the Assessing Revolutionary and Insurgent Strategies (ARIS) series produced for the United States Army Special Operations Command . This volume explores the foundational mechanics of resistance movements — how they form, evolve, organize, legitimize themselves, and ultimately attempt to govern.

We unpack:

• The phases of contemporary resistance — from clandestine organization to militarization and consolidation

• Competing doctrinal models, including Mao’s construct, FM 3-24, ATP 3-05, Galula, and SORO

• The determinants and variables that shape movement evolution — grievance levels, logistics capacity, finance, recruitment, clandestine behavior, and leadership dynamics

• The “public component” — how insurgent groups build legitimacy through governance, social services, and political engagement

• Thresholds of violence and the strategic transition from resistance to governance

Rather than viewing insurgency purely through armed struggle, this discussion highlights resistance as a dynamic system — blending political organization, psychological operations, underground networks, and shadow governance. The episode emphasizes the operational utility of understanding phasing models and organizational growth as tools for both enabling and countering resistance movements.

This episode offers a structured framework for analyzing how resistance movements develop — and how they succeed or fail.

Based on: Assessing Revolutionary and Insurgent Strategies: Special Topics in Irregular Warfare – Understanding Resistance

Full text is available on theresistancehub.com/assessing-revolutionary-and-insurgent-strategies-aris/