Chapter 8 Second Seminar Series: Coercion and Contemporary COIN

The second seminar series examines the inclusion and exclusion of normative evaluations of military strategy and operational practice. In this seminar series we will examine the relationship between counterinsurgency (COIN) and political repression in theory and practice. In particular, the series will examine how contemporary COIN as practiced by liberal democracies often shies away from explicit engagement with the repressive elements of COIN practice. You should read Austin Long’s (2016) The Soul of Armies: Counterinsurgency Doctrine and Military Culture in the US and UK over the Christmas break, but otherwise no reading beyond these readings is required for the seminar series.

The idea of this seminar is to focus upon the variable of government type, and the way in which categories of government and governance are constructed. This allows for a deeper interrogation of one of the underlying themes of the module: What, if anything, separates liberal democracies from non-democratic governments in the prosecution of internal conflicts? Over the course of the seminar we will be examining the differences between liberal counterinsurgency and authoritarian counterinsurgency, as well as substantial areas of similarity.

8.1 Best Practice in COIN

Both war and political repression are part-constituted by the existence of political differences. Normative values therefore play a significant role in both, yet the evaluation of military practice often seeks to identify instrumental utility rather than engage with wider normative issues. In this seminar, we’ll discuss whether the identification of best practices - evaluating military campaigns to identify patterns of success and utility - can ever be a value-free activity.

  • Discussion Questions:
    • Does the search for “best practice” in COIN require us to ignore political values in individual cases?
    • Is identifying “best practice” in COIN a value-neutral activity?
  • Readings:
    • Paul, Christopher, Colin P. Clarke, Beth Grill, and Molly Dunigan. Paths to Victory: Lessons from Modern Insurgencies. RAND Corporation, (2013b).27 You can also find the detailed case studies in Paul, Christopher, Colin P. Clarke, Beth Grill, and Molly Dunigan. Paths to Victory: Detailed Insurgency Case Studies. RAND Corporation, (2013a).
    • Sepp, Kalev I. “Best Practices in Counterinsurgency.” Military Review 135, nos. 3, May-June (2005).

8.2 The Classification of COIN

As you’ll know from the main course, a key problem in the study of conflict is construction of categories and sub-categories. In this seminar we will look at a particular categorisation problem, which is distinguishing counterinsurgency campaigns from civil wars. Is this even possible? When we identify something as a counterinsurgency campaign, are we talking about a conflict, a strategy, or something else?

  • Discussion Questions:
    • Is there a meaningful difference between counterinsurgency and civil war?
    • How might the biases identified by Kalyvas influence the way COIN is analysed?
  • Readings:

8.3 Success and Failure in COIN

This seminar examines the inherent biases found in the kind of questions we ask about insurgency and counterinsurgency. In particular, if we seek to measure an agent’s success or failure, how much does the selection of the agent frame our subsequent investigation? We’ll be discussing the analysis of the success/failure of both insurgents and incumbent political authorities.

  • Discussion Questions:
    • How does the explanation of insurgent success differ from the explanation of counterinsurgent failure?
    • Is it possible to arrive at objective standards of success and failure in internal conflict?
  • Readings:

8.4 COIN’s Imperial Hangover

As outlined in the main lecture series, the ideas and techniques of contemporary COIN have strong ties to the pacification and policing of European empires. Needless to say, these ties are controversial. Nonetheless, contemporary COIN differs in some marked respects, but some argue that the colonial aspect of COIN is inherent to the practice, no matter how much contemporary democracies might seek to distance themselves from past empires. In this seminar, we’ll discuss this issue, in particular whether bracketing out the political dimensions of colonialism from discussions of COIN is itself a political issue.

  • Discussion Questions:
    • Is it right to evaluate contemporary COIN theory without considering its colonial origins?
    • Is COIN an inherently repressive practice?
  • Readings:
    • Barkawi, Tarak. “Decolonising War.” European Journal of International Security 1, no. 2 (2016): 199–214.
    • Mockaitis, Thomas R. “The Origins of British Counter‐insurgency.” Small Wars & Insurgencies 1, no. 3 (1990): 209–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/09592319008422956.

8.5 Authoritarian COIN

Contemporary debates about the nature of COIN, and best practices, have given rise to both criticisms and counterpoints. A key counterpoint is the identification of “Authoritarian COIN” by researchers who note that some non-democratic states are markedly successful at COIN, using methods that liberal democratic states consider to be counterproductive or profoundly wrong. In this seminar we will examine some key works on this topic and discuss whether authoritarian COIN exists as a model/framework, or perhaps counts as something else.

  • Discussion Questions:
    • How do Byman and Ucko differ in their evaluation of authoritarian COIN?
    • Does an “authoritarian model” of COIN exist?
  • Readings:
    • Ucko, David H. “‘The People Are Revolting’: An Anatomy of Authoritarian Counterinsurgency.” Journal of Strategic Studies 39, no. 1 (2016): 29–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402390.2015.1094390.
    • Byman, Daniel. “‘Death Solves All Problems’: The Authoritarian Model of Counterinsurgency.” Journal of Strategic Studies 39, no. 1 (2016): 62–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402390.2015.1068166.
    • Schmidt, Manfred G. “Regime Types: Measuring Democracy and Autocracy.” In Handbook of Research Methods and Applications in Political Science, edited by Hans Keman and Jaap J. Woldendorp, 111. Edward Elgar, (2016).

8.6 The Minimum Force Myth

Narratives of success and failure play a significant role in the construction of COIN, and evaluation of best practice. In this seminar we will look at a key narrative, that of “minimum force”, which some consider to typify the British approach to COIN. Despite the fact that this narrative faced significant challenge from historians both before and after 9/11, it still persists. Here, we’ll discuss the importance of this narrative in terms of the way it legitimises COIN practices.

  • Discussion Questions:
    • How does the notion of “minimum force” legitimise COIN practice?
    • What explains the persistence of minimum force as a perceived principle of British COIN?
  • Readings:

8.7 Minimum Force in Iraq

Continuing from last week’s seminar, the narrative of British success in COIN - and reasons for success rooted in minimum force - played a significant part in the framing of COIN during the Iraq War. In the early phases of the conflict, it was sometimes reduced to the idea that the British could “do” COIN, and that the American military could learn from their past examples. In this seminar we’ll look at the narrative of minimum force as it played out in the early phases of the Iraq War.

  • Discussion Questions:
    • Did the US adopt British COIN practice, or an imagined version?
    • Given the apparent superiority of British COIN, why did they fail in Iraq?
  • Readings:
    • Chin, Warren. “Examining the Application of British Counterinsurgency Doctrine by the American Army in Iraq.” Small Wars & Insurgencies 18, no. 1 (2007): 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/09592310601173204.
    • Aylwin-Foster, Nigel R.F. “Changing the Army for Counterinsurgency Operations.” Military Review 135, nos. 6, November-December (2005).

8.8 Mobilising Malaya in FM3-24

In this seminar we will zero in on the use of Malaya as an example of good COIN practice, notably the way in which the narrative was actually framed in doctrine. It is important to remember that the wider narratives under discussion in previous seminars don’t always filter through to actual doctrine.28 For a good example of this, see Etzioni (2015) and the reply from John Nagl (2015). Nonetheless, examining how and why specific examples of COIN practice are used in doctrine provides a way to frame discussion about the use of history in doctrine itself.

  • Discussion Questions:
    • What is the importance of FM 3-24’s (2006) mis-reading of the case study of Malaya?
    • Why does FM 3-24 emphasise legitimacy over population control?
  • Readings:
    • Hack, Karl. “Using and Abusing the Past: The Malayan Emergency as Counterinsurgency Paradigm.” In The British Approach to Counterinsurgency: From Malaya and Northern Ireland to Iraq and Afghanistan, edited by Paul Dixon, 207–42. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, (2012a). https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137284686_7.
    • Petraeus, David H., James F. Amos, and John A. Nagl. FM3-24 Counterinsurgency. 2nd ed. University of Chicago Press, (2007). Chapter 1, Section 6-104 to 6-106 Available online here

8.9 The Absence of Kenya

Malaya is often referred to as an archetype of COIN success. However British forces were also successful in a number of other campaigns, notably the suppression of the Mau-Mau revolt in Kenya. However the means and methods of that campaign fly in the face of narratives about restraint as a key element of COIN success. In this seminar we’ll be looking at this is in a wider sense, which is the strange way in which coercion and violence are framed in FM 3-24. Why does it give the impression that coercive force is employed by only one side in a COIN campaign?

  • Discussion Questions:
    • What explains FM 3-24’s asymmetric analysis of the role of coercion in COIN?
    • What theories explain the silence in contemporary COIN theory regarding the role of exemplary force in COIN?
  • Readings:
    • Bennett, Huw. “The Other Side of the Coin: Minimum and Exemplary Force in British Army Counterinsurgency in Kenya.” Small Wars & Insurgencies 18, no. 4 (2007): 638–64. https://doi.org/10.1080/09592310701778514.
    • Branch, Daniel. “Footprints in the Sand: British Colonial Counterinsurgency and the War in Iraq.” Politics & Society 38, no. 1 (2010): 15–34. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032329209357882.
    • Petraeus, David H., James F. Amos, and John A. Nagl. FM3-24 Counterinsurgency. 2nd ed. University of Chicago Press, (2007). Search the document for “coercion” and “coercive” Available online here

8.10 COIN and Political Repression

In this final seminar, we’ll round off discussion of COIN by returning to the themes of the main lecture series. Contemporary COIN operations have been criticised by both military professionals as well as academics, who often arrive at similar criticisms from quite different starting points. We’ll discuss whether political repression is inherent in COIN, and whether strategic goals like “nation building” can ever succeed without political repression. Lastly, we’ll alse spend some time reflecting on what we have learned over the course.

  • Discussion Questions:
    • Is COIN an inherently repressive activity?
    • What have you encountered on this course that has changed your mind?
  • Readings:

References

Arreguín-Toft, Ivan. 2001. “How the Weak Win Wars: A Theory of Asymmetric Conflict.” International Security 26 (1):93–128. https://doi.org/10.1162/016228801753212868.

Aylwin-Foster, Nigel R.F. 2005. “Changing the Army for Counterinsurgency Operations.” Military Review 135 (6, November-December).

Barkawi, Tarak. 2016. “Decolonising War.” European Journal of International Security 1 (2):199–214.

Bennett, Huw. 2007. “The Other Side of the Coin: Minimum and Exemplary Force in British Army Counterinsurgency in Kenya.” Small Wars & Insurgencies 18 (4). Routledge:638–64. https://doi.org/10.1080/09592310701778514.

Branch, Daniel. 2010. “Footprints in the Sand: British Colonial Counterinsurgency and the War in Iraq.” Politics & Society 38 (1):15–34. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032329209357882.

Byman, Daniel. 2016. “‘Death Solves All Problems’: The Authoritarian Model of Counterinsurgency.” Journal of Strategic Studies 39 (1). Routledge:62–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402390.2015.1068166.

Chin, Warren. 2007. “Examining the Application of British Counterinsurgency Doctrine by the American Army in Iraq.” Small Wars & Insurgencies 18 (1). Routledge:1–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/09592310601173204.

Davenport, Christian. 2007b. “State Repression and Political Order.” Annual Review of Political Science 10 (1). Palo Alto, CA: Annual Reviews:1–23. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.polisci.10.101405.143216.

Etzioni, Amitai. 2015. “COIN: A Study of Strategic Illusion.” Small Wars & Insurgencies 26 (3). Routledge:345–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/09592318.2014.982882.

French, David. 2012. “Nasty Not Nice: British Counter-Insurgency Doctrine and Practice, 1945–1967.” Small Wars & Insurgencies 23 (4-5):744–61.

Gentile, Gian. 2014. “The Conceit of American Counter-Insurgency.” In The New Counter-Insurgency Era in Critical Perspective, edited by Celeste Ward Gventer, David Martin Jones, and M. L. R. Smith, 240–56. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137336941_13.

Hack, Karl. 2012a. “Using and Abusing the Past: The Malayan Emergency as Counterinsurgency Paradigm.” In The British Approach to Counterinsurgency: From Malaya and Northern Ireland to Iraq and Afghanistan, edited by Paul Dixon, 207–42. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137284686_7.

Jones, David Martin, M. L.R. Smith, and John Stone. 2012. “Counter-Coin: Counterinsurgency and the Preemption of Strategy.” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 35 (9). Routledge:597–617. https://doi.org/10.1080/1057610X.2012.702668.

Kalyvas, Stathis N. 2006. The Logic of Violence in Civil War. Cambridge University Press.

Kilcullen, David. 2006. “Counter-Insurgency Redux.” Survival 48 (4). Routledge:111–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/00396330601062790.

Long, Austin. 2016. The Soul of Armies: Counterinsurgency Doctrine and Military Culture in the Us and Uk. Cornell University Press.

MacDonald, Paul K. 2013. “‘Retribution Must Succeed Rebellion’: The Colonial Origins of Counterinsurgency Failure.” International Organization 67 (2). Cambridge University Press:253–86. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020818313000027.

Mockaitis, Thomas R. 1990. “The Origins of British Counter‐insurgency.” Small Wars & Insurgencies 1 (3). Routledge:209–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/09592319008422956.

Mockaitis, Thomas R. 1993. “Low-Intensity Conflict: The British Experience.” Journal of Conflict Studies 13 (1). https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/JCS/article/view/15092.

Nagl, John A. 2015. “COIN Fights: A Response to Etzioni.” Small Wars & Insurgencies 26 (3). Routledge:377–82. https://doi.org/10.1080/09592318.2014.982935.

Paul, Christopher, Colin P. Clarke, Beth Grill, and Molly Dunigan. 2013a. Paths to Victory: Detailed Insurgency Case Studies. RAND Corporation.

Paul, Christopher, Colin P. 2013b. Paths to Victory: Lessons from Modern Insurgencies. RAND Corporation.

Petraeus, David H., James F. Amos, and John A. Nagl. 2007. FM3-24 Counterinsurgency. 2nd ed. University of Chicago Press.

Schmidt, Manfred G. 2016. “Regime Types: Measuring Democracy and Autocracy.” In Handbook of Research Methods and Applications in Political Science, edited by Hans Keman and Jaap J. Woldendorp, 111. Edward Elgar.

Sepp, Kalev I. 2005. “Best Practices in Counterinsurgency.” Military Review 135 (3, May-June).

Strachan, Hew. 2007. “British Counter-Insurgency from Malaya to Iraq.” The RUSI Journal 152 (6). Routledge:8–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/03071840701863018.

Ucko, David H. 2016. “’The People Are Revolting’: An Anatomy of Authoritarian Counterinsurgency.” Journal of Strategic Studies 39 (1). Taylor & Francis:29–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402390.2015.1094390.