- Defeating Complex Insurgency: Beyond Iraq and Afghanistan
- John Mackinlay argues that coalition forces must define Al Qa'ida more rigorously to ensure success in Afghanistan in this Whitehall Paper.
Read the Paper in full
- Operations in Afghanistan
RUSI Analysis
Insurgency and Counter-insurgency
Cutting-edge analysis and comment from the world's oldest defence and security think tank
Calibrating Ink Spots: Filling Afghanistan's Ungoverned Spaces
Despite the generally accepted picture of approaching catastrophe in Afghanistan, the reality is, in fact, very different. Significant progress has been made.
Revising the British Army’s Counter-Insurgency Doctrine
Responding to events in Iraq and Afghanistan, the British Army has begun a review of its counter-insurgency doctrine.
Pakistan's Waziristan Problem
In recent years, clerics have become increasingly powerful in the Pashtun Waziristan regions that straddle the Afghan-Pakistan border. Brigadier Shaukat Qadir looks at the recents for this and the impact upon the region.
Learning about Counter-Insurgency
There is nothing new about insurgency – the nineteenth and twentieth centuries provide plenty of examples of this type of warfare – and, therefore, no shortage of opportunities to learn lessons. Given the latest case-study in Iraq and Afghanistan, what more can we learn?
The Fallacy of ‘Irregular’ Warfare
'Irregular warfare' is a fallacious term because those functions, operations, and environments that are dubbed ‘irregular’ are in fact 'regular'.
Looking for Long-Term Stabilisation in Afghanistan
The United Kingdom announces an increase in troop numbers – the highest level so far – only days after Britain mourned its hundredth combat death in Afghanistan. But the sacrifice and the rise in troop levels should not distract us from the military successes in that country and the focus required by the international community to reap a positive legacy.
- Insurgency and Counter-insurgency
A comprehensive collection of articles on various aspects of the counter-insurgency struggle
Articles
Calibrating Ink Spots: Filling Afghanistan's Ungoverned SpacesDespite the generally accepted picture of approaching catastrophe in Afghanistan, the reality is, in fact, very different. Significant progress has been made.
Revising the British Army’s Counter-Insurgency DoctrineResponding to events in Iraq and Afghanistan, the British Army has begun a review of its counter-insurgency doctrine.
Pakistan's Waziristan ProblemIn recent years, clerics have become increasingly powerful in the Pashtun Waziristan regions that straddle the Afghan-Pakistan border. Brigadier Shaukat Qadir looks at the recents for this and the impact upon the region.
Learning about Counter-InsurgencyThere is nothing new about insurgency – the nineteenth and twentieth centuries provide plenty of examples of this type of warfare – and, therefore, no shortage of opportunities to learn lessons. Given the latest case-study in Iraq and Afghanistan, what more can we learn?
Counter-What? Germany and Counter-Insurgency in Afghanistan
An examination the failure of Germany to adapt its strategic thinking to the demands of counter-insurgency in Afghanistan and the implications for the NATO allies.
An examination the failure of Germany to adapt its strategic thinking to the demands of counter-insurgency in Afghanistan and the implications for the NATO allies.
Civil-Military Relations in Afghanistan: Time for Radical Reform
This article argues that substantial reform by NATO allies is needed now if the Alliance is ever going to be ready to hand over control of the currently unsecured provinces to Afghan national forces.
This article argues that substantial reform by NATO allies is needed now if the Alliance is ever going to be ready to hand over control of the currently unsecured provinces to Afghan national forces.
The Fallacy of ‘Irregular’ Warfare'Irregular warfare' is a fallacious term because those functions, operations, and environments that are dubbed ‘irregular’ are in fact 'regular'.
Commentary
Afghanistan: Through an Unfashionable Lens
Devoid of full context and without appropriate perspective, it is all too easy to view the problems in Afghanistan as insurmountable, the adversary as invincible and the mission as doomed. A credible assessment can be achieved if viewed in the long-term.
Devoid of full context and without appropriate perspective, it is all too easy to view the problems in Afghanistan as insurmountable, the adversary as invincible and the mission as doomed. A credible assessment can be achieved if viewed in the long-term.
Looking for Long-Term Stabilisation in AfghanistanThe United Kingdom announces an increase in troop numbers – the highest level so far – only days after Britain mourned its hundredth combat death in Afghanistan. But the sacrifice and the rise in troop levels should not distract us from the military successes in that country and the focus required by the international community to reap a positive legacy.
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