Publication

The US has a long history of engaging in irregular wars and countering insurgencies, one that even predates the nation’s existence. While many of these efforts were successful, explains this publication, others were not. In light of this, the text's author here assesses the measures, both coercive and benign, that the US has used in a number of pivotal cases to determine 1) if the country’s irregular warfare and counterinsurgency (COIN) approaches have changed significantly over the past two centuries; and 2) what lessons the US should learn from this history.