Description
The global insurgency will be a long fight, but the US and its allies can defeat it. The British in Malaya shattered a myth perpetuated for years (originated from one of their own), that an insurgent can never be defeated.73 It will require the US to recognize that there is a global insurgency and that it can do something about it. It must apply the lessons from counterinsurgencies past. Because generally, these lessons continue to be valid today since the enemy’s primary goal and strategy remain the same as insurgents throughout history – control of the government where they live and operate. Applying these lessons will require the US military and State department to spend the capital to adapt its culture, organization and strategy to incorporate the key COIN principles: cultural awareness/understanding, host nation leadership, civil and local political primacy, and interagency coordination and execution. Implementation of these principles coupled with a robust international media campaign, will give the US and its allies a stable base to begin to make inroads against the global insurgency.
