Toward a consensus on the nature of contemporary insurgecy : an analysis of counterinsurgency in the War on Terror 2001-2010

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Copyright: Elze, Erich Julian
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Abstract
Following the terrorist attacks of September 2001, US President George W. Bush announced a War on Terror to promulgate democracy and ameliorate the conditions that spawn terrorism in the Middle East. COIN thus attained a newfound strategic influence since the initiation of regime changes in Afghanistan in 2001 and in Iraq in 2003. This study establishes a conceptual framework for judging COIN utilising the Hybrid War and Insurgent Archipelago models. The Hybrid War model best encapsulates the multi-modal nature of contemporary insurgency which has co-manifested with criminality, nationalism and politicised Islam. This thesis contends that the lack of understanding of the enemy has been of central importance in preventing victory. A case study methodology is utilised to evaluate and compare COIN conducted during the Iraq troop surge and in Afghanistan s Kunar province. This thesis determines that the positive narrative concerning those COIN campaigns exceeds the actual correlation between COIN and reductions in violence and insurgency. A clear consensus on the nature of contemporary insurgency and its remedies must be established to avoid future failures in COIN.
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Author(s)
Elze, Erich Julian
Supervisor(s)
Tan, Andrew
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Publication Year
2013
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Thesis
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PhD Doctorate
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