Varieties of Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in Iraq, 2003-2009

Abstract

This case study focuses on insurgency and counter-insurgency in Iraq and asks some of the most fundamental questions: why do men rebel, and why does that rebellion become organized, and what works to counter that rebellion? The authors examine three different regions in Iraq between 2003-2006 - Baghdad, the Sunni west and Anbar province, and the south. The plunging levels of insurgent violence by the end of that period are most often attributed to successful implementation of COIN or even "the Surge"; however, the authors argue that the explanation is far more complex. Indeed, they provide evidence that local and political circumstances, specific to each region, played at least an equally important role in driving down the level of social violence.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 2012
Accession Number
AD1148878

Entities

People

  • Jon Lindsay
  • Roger Petersen

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Asymmetric Warfare
  • Civil War
  • Criminals
  • Employment
  • Ethnic Groups
  • Intelligence Collection
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Iraqi-War
  • Military Organizations
  • Mobile Phones
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Sectarian Violence
  • Societies
  • Sociopolitics
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • History
  • Sociology

Readers

  • Military and Counterinsurgency Studies.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.