Counterinsurgency Responses and Practices Across Regions

CHAPTER 28: COUNTERINSURGENCY CHAPTER 28: COUNTERINSURGENCY Counterinsurgency refers to responses to violent opposition to rule. In the West, counterinsurgency has recently drifted out of fashion as states like the US attempt to avoid long-term military interventions. But insurgencies themselves continue and require a response, and counterinsurgency is being practiced in a wide range of theatres across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and in Ukraine. Counterinsurgency is often referred to as COIN. Security Studies: An Introduction. 4th Edition. Paul D. Williams and Matt McDonald. Routledge 2023. Paperback ISBN - 9781032162737 Information Classification: General

KEY DEFINITIONS KEY DEFINITIONS INSURGENCY COUNTERINSURGENCY British military doctrine: those military, law British Army Field Manual: An organised, enforcement, political, economic, violent subversion used to effect or prevent psychological, and civic actions taken to political control, as a challenge to established defeat insurgency, while addressing the root authority (British Army 2009: 1-10). causes (British Army 2009: 1-11). Contemporary US doctrine: Insurgency is the US military doctrine: the blend of organized use of subversion and violence to comprehensive civilian and military efforts designed to simultaneously defeat and seize, nullify, or challenge political control of a contain insurgency and address its root region (Joint Publication 3-24 2021: ix). causes (Joint Publication 3-24, 2021: xiii). Security Studies: An Introduction. 4th Edition. Paul D. Williams and Matt McDonald. Routledge 2023. Paperback ISBN - 9781032162737 Information Classification: General

INSURGENCY DURING THE COLONIAL ERA INSURGENCY DURING THE COLONIAL ERA Insurgency and counterinsurgency are often viewed as having their origins in national liberation struggles against colonial forces. Anti-colonial insurgents were often trying to expel foreign forces from their territories and establish their own sovereign states. Insurgency was therefore automatically viewed as wrong by the West. Key examples of anti-colonial insurgency include insurgencies against British rule in the American colonies in the 18thcentury, French resistance against Nazi occupation in World War II, and national liberation insurgencies in Africa and Asia in the 1950s and 1960s. Security Studies: An Introduction. 4th Edition. Paul D. Williams and Matt McDonald. Routledge 2023. Paperback ISBN - 9781032162737 Information Classification: General

DAVID KILCULLEN AND NEW INSURGENCY DAVID KILCULLEN AND NEW INSURGENCY Scholar and COIN practitioner David Kilcullen (2006/7) argued that new insurgents, rather than attempting to change the status quo, were often trying to protect it from foreign-imposed regime change. This could be applied to the examples of warfare in Afghanistan (2001-21), Iraq (2003-21), Chechnya (1994-2009), and now Ukraine (2022-). Kilcullen (2006/7) also suggested that some new insurgencies were based less on realizing an ideological vision of the state (as famous insurgents like Che Guevara and Mao Zedong sought) and more on dismembering or scavenging the carcass of the state. However, some traditional insurgencies, such as the ISIS declaration of a Caliphate in the Middle East, have also persisted. Security Studies: An Introduction. 4th Edition. Paul D. Williams and Matt McDonald. Routledge 2023. Paperback ISBN - 9781032162737 Information Classification: General

INSURGENTS TACTICS AND THE CHALLENGE OF INSURGENTS TACTICS AND THE CHALLENGE OF RESPONSE RESPONSE Guerrilla Tactics: Insurgents begin weaker than their opponents in military terms so cannot confront the opposing power directly. They therefore tend to attack vulnerable points then hide among the local population. Responding to this can be difficult: significant violence or mass punishment is counterproductive, alienating the population and encouraging more locals to join insurgencies while undermining the government s legitimacy. This problem led to new COIN strategies that moved beyond just violent responses. For example, the British in Malaya experienced many setbacks in the early years of the campaign before they developed a successful strategy. Source of support: In the classical model, insurgents live off the population, so COIN attempts to isolate insurgents from local sources of support. Today COIN must include economic sanctions as many insurgents receive outside funding. This was true in Afghanistan and Iraq, and is the case in Yemen, Libya and Ukraine. The local population remains an important source of camouflage and intelligence gathering, and isolating insurgents from the people still has value, but is difficult to achieve as most insurgents are locals. Urban settings, multiple actors: Classical insurgencies were primarily rural but today they are also fought in urban areas, as in Iraq until recently, and Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Somalia and Ukraine today. Urban terrain causes new headaches for counterinsurgents due to dangers of counterproductive civilian casualties during operations. Also, classical insurgencies were usually confined to one state or region and involved one insurgent group and one government. However, in cases like Syria, local groups are not just fighting against the Assad regime, but also fighting amongst themselves, making conflicts multisided violent interactions. The war also encompasses external actors on both sides, including Russia, Turkey, Iran and the US. Security Studies: An Introduction. 4th Edition. Paul D. Williams and Matt McDonald. Routledge 2023. Paperback ISBN - 9781032162737 Information Classification: General

COIN AND THE US MILITARY SINCE 9/11 COIN AND THE US MILITARY SINCE 9/11 The September 11 terrorist attacks on the US saw the return of Western interest in COIN, linked to US-led military invasion and occupations of Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003). Following initial military success in both Afghanistan and Iraq it became clear intervening forces were struggling to hold captured territory, and the broader project of winning hearts and minds in these countries couldn t be achieved through military force. The shift to COIN was challenging for the US, however, still scarred by the Vietnam war. After a concerted campaign within the military by so-called COINdinistas like General David Petraeus, the US belatedly embraced COIN tactics, though with mixed success. Since its withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, the US has again largely abandoned COIN. Security Studies: An Introduction. 4th Edition. Paul D. Williams and Matt McDonald. Routledge 2023. Paperback ISBN - 9781032162737 Information Classification: General

INSURGENCY/COIN INSURGENCY/COIN SCHOLAR/PRACTITIONERS SCHOLAR/PRACTITIONERS There has always been a close relationship between theory and practice with COIN, with some key texts on insurgency and COIN developed from experience on the ground. TE Lawrence, Lawrence of Arabia , led an Arab revolt against the Ottoman Turks in the Middle East, and wrote the book Seven Pillars of Wisdom about this experience. Roger Trinquier and David Galula both practiced COIN with the French military in Indochina and Algeria, and wrote Modern Warfare: A French View of Counterinsurgency, and Counterinsurgency Warfare: Theory and Practice respectively. John Nagl was a US Army Officer who conducted COIN activities in Iraq and wrote the popular book Eating Soup with a Knife. David Kilcullen was engaged in COIN through the Australian military in the Middle East, Pacific and East Timor and wrote the book The Accidental Guerilla. Security Studies: An Introduction. 4th Edition. Paul D. Williams and Matt McDonald. Routledge 2023. Paperback ISBN - 9781032162737 Information Classification: General

HEARTS AND MINDS HEARTS AND MINDS Insurgency and counterinsurgency campaigns are often viewed as battles for the hearts and minds of a local population: a competition for the allegiance of the people. The phrase was coined by British High Commissioner Gerald Templer in the context of a broadly successful British COIN campaign in Malaya. Winning hearts and minds can mean a range of things in practice, from engaging with local populations, conducting talks with insurgents, to providing aid, food and medicine. Ultimately, however, it is hard to get the balance right: the need (or perceived need) to respond with violence to insurgents can significantly erode the capacity of those practicing COIN to win hearts and minds if violence is seen as excessive, unnecessary or indiscriminate. Security Studies: An Introduction. 4th Edition. Paul D. Williams and Matt McDonald. Routledge 2023. Paperback ISBN - 9781032162737 Information Classification: General

COIN AND THE ROLE OF MILITARY FORCE COIN AND THE ROLE OF MILITARY FORCE David Galula (1964) suggested that the ideal counterinsurgency campaign would be 80% political, 20% military . He thought the point of military power was to create the space for political progress. Given the importance of winning hearts and minds this makes sense. The challenge of avoiding the unnecessary use of force is even more difficult when leaders prioritize force protection over civilian protection. In Iraq, different cultures or traditions of COIN, and different emphases on the use of force, were evident. While British forces initially often patrolled on foot and wore berets, the American military were more likely to patrol in armoured vehicles with heavy weaponry. The British tradition led them to put security of the local population as the key mission, whereas the US military prioritized force protection (fearing Vietnam-style domestic reactions if US soldiers were killed). Today a range of actors beyond the military are involved in COIN. These extend to private military companies, NGOs, aid agencies, civilian government agencies and the media. Security Studies: An Introduction. 4th Edition. Paul D. Williams and Matt McDonald. Routledge 2023. Paperback ISBN - 9781032162737 Information Classification: General

THE FUTURE OF COIN? THE FUTURE OF COIN? Counterinsurgency is practiced in many parts of the world today, though it is less likely to be the hearts and minds version favoured by the West. Instead, COIN is more likely to be violent, with host regimes desperate to remain in power using military means without significant concern for human rights or legitimacy . A general movement away from COIN in the West, especially the US, was solidified with the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. In fact, the US is now more likely to be supporting an insurgency in Ukraine against Russian forces trying to hold territory acquired following the 2022 invasion. Security Studies: An Introduction. 4th Edition. Paul D. Williams and Matt McDonald. Routledge 2023. Paperback ISBN - 9781032162737 Information Classification: General

ESSAY AND EXAM QUESTIONS ESSAY AND EXAM QUESTIONS What are the central characteristics of insurgencies? How far do they differ across time and place? What roles can the military play in counterinsurgency? Economic factors are more important than ideological factors in counterinsurgency. Critically discuss this statement using relevant examples. What are the best ways to reduce the number of insurgents? What explains the most successful examples of counterinsurgency since 1945? Is winning hearts and minds a viable approach to counterinsurgency? What constitutes victory in counterinsurgency? How important are disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programmes in counterinsurgency? What are the key challenges of waging counterinsurgency in cyberspace? Security Studies: An Introduction. 4th Edition. Paul D. Williams and Matt McDonald. Routledge 2023. Paperback ISBN - 9781032162737 Information Classification: General

WEBSITES AND AUDIO WEBSITES AND AUDIO- -VISUAL RESOURCES VISUAL RESOURCES Talks Websites The Small Wars Journal blog: http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/ David Kilcullen on strategy and counterinsurgency in Iraq http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK2hZgiQuBI US Army Manual on Counterinsurgency http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm3-24.pdf Karl Eikenberry on counter-insurgency and state-building in Afghanistan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkZ- oczhFCc War on the Rocks https://warontherocks.com Rory Stewart on counterinsurgency in Afghanistan, TED Talks (2011) http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/rory_stewart_time_t o_end_the_war_in_afghanistan.html Horizontal networking sites www.companycommand.com and www.platoonleader.org Gary Trudeau s site The Sandbox : http://gocomics.typepad.com/the_sandbox/ Joshua Rovner, The Heroes of Counterinsurgency TEDx Talk (2014) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCrGmOqJlik Feature Films The Battle of Algiers (1966) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca3M2feqJk8 Restrepo (2010) http://restrepothemovie.com/ The War Tapes (2006) http://thewartapes.com/trailer/youtube_trailer.html Eye in the Sky (2015) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOqeoj669xg Breaker Morant (1980) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUrVN-4WpH4 Counterinsurgency with John Nagl (2015) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47kJ5XqasOE Life Inside Islamic State (2016) https://vimeo.com/207163783 Waging a Digital Counterinsurgency (2016) https://www.chathamhouse.org/event/waging-digital- counterinsurgency Security Studies: An Introduction. 4th Edition. Paul D. Williams and Matt McDonald. Routledge 2023. Paperback ISBN - 9781032162737 Information Classification: General