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So You Want to Learn About Counterinsurgency?

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Counterinsurgency (COIN) has been a hot topic over the past decade with the US-led coalition wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. If you are new to the topic, there is an endless stream of commentary and analysis on the topic, so it can be overwhelming trying to figure out where to start. In addition, FM 3-24 (PDF) is lengthy and about to be replaced.

These online articles are the perfect spot to begin.

Two Schools of Classical Counterinsurgency (2007) by Dave Kilcullen — In this article, Kilcullen talks about the enemy-centric and population-centric approaches of classical counterinsurgency, which will be two terms you will see a lot throughout COIN writings.

In this work, Thinking and Writing About COIN (2013) by John T. Fishel and Edwin G. Corr, the authors give a book review of Fred Kaplan’s The Insurgents: David Petraeus and the Plot to Change the American Way of War. However, the useful aspect is the lengthy historiography of COIN literature and influence over the past 100 years. Some of the names will likely be familiar (e.g., Sun Tzu, Mao) while others may be more obscure. Still, someone jumping into learning about counterinsurgency will benefit from the list for further reading.

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Iran’s Access to the Sea

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By William Tucker

Presidential candidate and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has stated on several occasions that, “Syria is the route that allows Iran to supply Hezbollah with weapons in Lebanon. Syria is Iran’s route to the sea.” This statement has been met with confusion among many political watchers. On their website the Washington Post even responded by calling it “weird.”

Iran Still Stands by Assad

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By William Tucker

In a show of solidarity with Syrian president Bashir al-Assad, Saeed Jalili, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, stated that, “Iran will never allow the resistance axis – of which Syria is an essential pillar – to break.” While many media outlets have correctly stated that the axis refers to Iran, Syria, and the Lebanese Hezbollah, what they fail to mention is how vital Syria is to Iran.

A Look at Al-Qaeda in Syria

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By William Tucker

Back in March 2011, I had written an article on the reported presence of al-Qaeda militants fighting against the Qaddafi regime after U.S. intelligence indicated that “flickers” of al-Qaeda were seen among the rebellion. Keeping true to form with the rest of the Arab Spring uprisings, the same concern is being expressed in regards to the situation in Syria. Unlike Libya, however, the presence of al-Qaeda is more pronounced.