Questions about COIN after Iraq and Afghanistan

Abstract

The intense debate over counter-insurgency (COIN) in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan revolved around three related questions. First, should COIN forces focus on attacking insurgents or protecting the civilian population? Second, was victory defined by destroying the enemy or by building a legitimate and self-sustaining government? Third, would heavy investment in COIN doctrine and training erode the Army’s conventional capabilities? These questions played out in fractious public debates pitting so-called ‘COINdinistas’, who emphasised the importance of population security and government legitimacy, against traditionalists who argued that the main role of the armed forces was to destroy armed enemies.