First some surprsing facts, for example, did you know that Stuttgart is the capitol of Africa?
Insurgency, resistance, and AFRICOM’s role
Resistance? Insurgents?The US Army has fallen hard for counter insurgency, COIN. However, NPR reports:
An internal Pentagon report is raising concerns about whether the Army’s focus on counterinsurgency has weakened its ability to fight conventional battles. The report’s authors — all colonels with significant combat experience — say the Army is “mortgaging its ability to (successfully) fight” in the future.…
The counterinsurgency doctrine emphasizes the use of minimal force, with the intent of winning the hearts and minds of a civilian population.…
The idea in a counterinsurgency campaign, Nagl says (Lt. Col. John Nagl, one of the Army’s top experts on counterinsurgency doctrine) is to drive a wedge between the civilian population and insurgents who live among them.
However, when we talk about counter insurgency, is it really counter insurgency we have in mind? In Iraq the “insurgency” looks a lot more like a resistance.
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counterinSURGEncy
Which side are we on? I’m dubious that the U.S. armed forces have any legitimate role—other than observer or peacekeeper—in counterinsurgency. Where on earth can we send our troops where counterinsurgency would be a legitimate mission?
The only insurgencies that the U.S. Government has a legitimate right to counter are domestic, and our Constitution and history recognize the perilous ambiguities in such situations. Our troops are already excessively and ominously prepared and enabled for the next domestic uprising.
I would like to propose that every time we hear the term “counterinsurgency,” we request specifics on what we’re talking about, where, and why.
oil
it’s all about the oil.
Now I Understand
“it’s all about the oil.”
OK, then. Our counterinsurgency style would be severely cramped without it.