Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan: An Assessment

Abstract

Since soon after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States military has been engaged in Afghanistan. In 2009, the U.S. began pursuing a strategy of counterinsurgency designed to protect the population, win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people, and build a legitimate, allied government in Kabul. This effort has been characterized by push-pull operations designed to push the insurgency and the population away from each other and pull the population towards the central government.

This thesis uses the foundational documents and teachings of counterinsurgency to assess the counterinsurgency effort in Afghanistan. It shows that the American counterinsurgency effort is failing and, as currently practiced, is unlikely to ever succeed.