Counter Insurgencies: Counter-Insurgency Or Counter Insurgency?

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Introduction
An insurgency is defined as the organised use of subversion and violence to size, nullify, or challenge political control of a region. Essentially, it is a struggle for power and resources. No two insurgencies are identical. Every insurgency is shaped by conflict specific factors such as culture, history, religion, politics, economics and history. In certain ways, I find insurgencies are very much like cancer. It develops in stages and the extent of damages is usually devastating in the later stage. Cancer treatments or counter-insurgencies are often a protracted battle. While the nutrients in our body feed cancer cells, the support of the people fuel insurgencies. An insurgency is unlikely to gain momentum and displaced …show more content…

He had explicitly identified that the support of the people was critical in countering insurgency in Malaya. In his words, he said that “the answer lies not in pouring more troops into the jungle, but rests in the hearts and minds of the people.” The ‘hearts and minds’ approach to counter-insurgencies seeks to isolate the population from the insurgents to starve them of support in terms of resources. It places emphasis on the political rather than military means to defeat the insurgents. And I cite a famous line by Mao Zedong “A revolutionary war is 20 percent military action and 80 percent …show more content…

It can be stemmed from historical, political, social, cultural, economic and religious conditions. The people usually suffered grievances or are extremely upset from the occupying power along the above-mentioned fault lines. To put it simply, the lack of government’s attention to the problems of the population leads to the insurgencies. For counter insurgencies to be successful, we need to nip the problems in the bud. A strong governance and resolution from the occupying power must be displayed to counter insurgencies. The occupying power needs to win the ‘hearts and minds’ of the population. The population need to be convinced that the government can protect them and had their best interest at heart. The second that people cease to support the insurgents, it is only a matter of time before the insurgencies are quelled. The occupying

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