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Will,
China has a well trained conventional army, and as such if a bunch of average americans tried to fight that army head on they would, of course, lose.
The reasons insurgencies are effective and successful is precisely that the fighters don't get sucked into decisive engagements. Rather, you attack supply lines, support networks, small patrols, etc. in order to force the occupying force to consolidate and waste tremendous resources simply in order to maintain a presence. When it becomes too much of a burden they will leave.
Also, there are quite a few russian tanks scattered around afghanistan. They were all defeated by people with far less resources than available to even the poorest American. Don't underestimate what people are capable of when they make good decisions about when and how to fight.
Also, IED's are surely an effective tool, but alone they are nothing more than a nuisance. Especially to a country with so little regard to human life. If you surrender, or do not have the basic means to fight, then you will not be able to do so effectively. You have to be able to shoot the two soldiers who were put on patrol around a neighborhood, etc. in order to win greater support from the local populace and force the occupying force to use more resources (maybe 10 guys instead of 2, etc.)
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"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." - Winston Churchill
"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act out their dream with open eyes, to make it possible." Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T.E. Lawrence
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