Whose Hearts and Whose Minds? The Curious Case of Global Counter-Insurgency

TY - JOUR

T1 - Whose Hearts and Whose Minds?

T2 - The Curious Case of Global Counter-Insurgency

AU - Smith, M.L.R.

AU - Jones, David Martin

PY - 2010

Y1 - 2010

N2 - Traditionally regarded as a secondary activity in military thinking and practice, the notion of counter-insurgency (COIN) has undergone a remarkable renaissance. This analysis traces the origins of this renaissance to two distinctive schools: a neo-classical school and a global insurgency school. The global insurgency school critiques neo-classical thought and presents itself as a more sophisticated appreciation of current security problems. An examination of the evolution of these two schools of counter-insurgency reveals how the interplay between them ultimately leaves us with a confused and contradictory understanding of the phenomenon of insurgency and the policies and strategies necessary to combat it.

AB - Traditionally regarded as a secondary activity in military thinking and practice, the notion of counter-insurgency (COIN) has undergone a remarkable renaissance. This analysis traces the origins of this renaissance to two distinctive schools: a neo-classical school and a global insurgency school. The global insurgency school critiques neo-classical thought and presents itself as a more sophisticated appreciation of current security problems. An examination of the evolution of these two schools of counter-insurgency reveals how the interplay between them ultimately leaves us with a confused and contradictory understanding of the phenomenon of insurgency and the policies and strategies necessary to combat it.

KW - COIN

KW - Counterinsurgency

KW - Insurgency

KW - War on Terror

M3 - Article

SN - 0140-2390

VL - 33

SP - 81

EP - 121

JO - The Journal of Strategic Studies

JF - The Journal of Strategic Studies

IS - 1

ER -