Iraq: The Mistake Was Staying
With tens of thousands dead, it is easy to have regrets when reflecting back on the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The real policy mistake was staying there beyond the destruction of Saddam Hussein’s regime.
After 2014: The U.S./NATO Missions in Afghanistan
Keeping insurgent groups at bay after transition increases the chances of Taliban exhaustion and eventual acceleration of reconciliation – a political solution that will be decisive for Afghanistan’s future.
Review – The Routledge Handbook of Insurgency and Counterinsurgency
Paul B. Rich and Isabelle Duyvesteyn’s new handbook offers an opportunity to survey the state of the art in ‘orthodox’ counterinsurgency thinking.
Green on Blue: The Rot Before the Storm
Green on blue attacks herald a new phase in the US/NATO pacification of Afghanistan. They trigger sensitivities around the extent to which the Afghanistan intervention has created real and enduring change.
The Human Terrain System in Northeast Baghdad: The View From The Team Level
Rather than debating the ethics of social science in military operations, this article provides an inside account of the Human Terrain concept in a culturally complex area: northeast Baghdad.
Jus En Bello Isn’t Enough: Human Terrain, COIN and a Reasonable Chance for Success
With words like ‘morality’ and ‘warfare’ peppering the Human Terrain debate, it is surprising that the program hasn’t been widely discussed with reference to the Just War tradition.
Review – The Counter-Counter Insurgency Manual
This book opposes the militarization of anthropology, and views the US army’s effort to enlist anthropologists as fieldworkers as ethically repugnant.
Extremist Islam and Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan and Iraq
Recent conflicts have highlighted how religion and identity are central to security issues. The question remains as to what extent individual conflict zones are facets of a wider, transnational war which pits the ‘West’ against al Qaeda?
Counterinsurgency and Gender: The Case of the Female Engagement Teams
Since 2009 the U.S. Marines have deployed Female Engagement Teams as part of its COIN effort. How does this relate to the gendering of COIN?
South Africa and the BRICS: An Ingrained Ambiguity
In the inaugural post of “Throwing BRICS,” Siphamandla Zondi argues that South Africa’s dual identity is an ingrained ambiguity ensuring that the BRICS will remain a major priority in its foreign policy.
