The United States and its allies are fighting an insurgency in Afghanistan, fought multiple insurgencies in Iraq, and are attempting to defeat insurgencies in Yemen, the Philippines and the Horn of Africa. What do these efforts consist of? How does counterinsurgency (COIN) work? How is it supposed to work? Why do policymakers expect the defeat of insurgencies abroad to make Americans safer at home? This course considers these questions through students’ analysis of relevant theoretical literatures, the COIN literature, and associated research into internal conflict and state-building, as well as through students’ study of current and recent COIN campaigns.

The United States and its allies are fighting an insurgency in Afghanistan, fought multiple insurgencies in Iraq, and are attempting to defeat insurgencies in Yemen, the Philippines and the Horn of Africa. What do these efforts consist of? How does counterinsurgency (COIN) work? How is it supposed to work? Why do policymakers expect the defeat of insurgencies abroad to make Americans safer at home? This course considers these questions through students’ analysis of relevant theoretical literatures, the COIN literature, and associated research into internal conflict and state-building, as well as through students’ study of current and recent COIN campaigns.