In a counterinsurgency environment, Information Operations play a crucial role. The insurgents and terrorists in Iraq rely on shaping narrative through media events and propaganda, and these narratives allow them to convince publics to support their cause, as well as change the …
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What is the role of political behavior in shaping the dynamics of conflict? World Politics models of civil conflict often overlook political behavior measures and mechanisms. In this work, I draw on American Politics research on domestic politics, trust and information sharing, …
Given the U.S. military's current engagement with insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is possible and prudent to test the effectiveness of U.S. counterinsurgency doctrine in practice. This article tests the predictive power of access to essential services, unemployment, per…
This thesis reviews the history of Afghanistan and the current counterinsurgency strategy. Military and political leaders ignored cultural and religious affairs inherent to the country in their planning of the invasion after the events of 9-11. This paper goes on to highlight th…
This dissertation presents and evaluates the use of geographic techniques for understanding the role of environmental variables as they relate to the odds of settlements being targeted for attack within a civil conflict. Geospatial technologies are demonstrated for their utility…
The initial hypothesis of this dissertation was that Afghan insurgents' attacks on Afghan civilians have lowered popular confidence in the Afghan government and its institutions. The goal of the insurgents has been to convince Afghans that their local, provincial, and national g…
Rural access infrastructural development projects in post 2001 Afghanistan represent a vital component of the economic recovery of the state. This thesis examines four of the most prevalent of these projects implemented by the World Bank, and in doing so substantiates the signif…
This dissertation critically explores military innovation in counterinsurgency in the American experience. It examines innovations in the operational strategy of the U.S. military in the Philippines War from 1898-1902, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq from 2001 to present. T…
In counterinsurgency wars with large-scale foreign military interventions, under what conditions do in-country allies comply with the demands of foreign intervening forces and under what conditions do allies dismiss foreign demands? By examining thousands of primary source docum…
Central America, said to have harboured the Cold War's last pitched battles, is the world's most violent place today, according to the United Nations. This dissertation studies the form of irregular warfare that the Guatemalan state waged against its own population during the se…
Between 1979 and 1992 the United States engaged in its largest counterinsurgency (COIN) and nation-building exercise since the debacle in South Vietnam. For over twelve years, Washington attempted to establish a moderate government in El Salvador and defeat an insurgency by prov…
This paper presents an econometric analysis of insurgency activity in Afghanistan using province-level panel data from 2007 through 2010, using Coalition Deaths as a proxy for insurgency activity. Due to the limited years of the data, multiple specifications are used to test the…
Among the most important choices made by groups fighting a civil war—governments and rebels alike—is how to allocate available military and pecuniary resources across the contested areas of a conflict-ridden territory. Combatants use military force to coerce and money to persuad…
“Audience costs” models of international relations suggest a purely informational role for domestic politics in conflict settings. Here, domestic politics serve as a rich signal of belligerents' true intentions, allowing them to more quickly resolve disagreements, decreasing the…
With the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center buildings, the intersection of religious ideals in war has been at the forefront of the American discussion on war and conflict. The New York attacks were followed by the U.S. invasions of Afghanistan in October of 2001 i…
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…
This dissertation explores the ineffectiveness of development assistance as an intervention into a complex system, and makes a contribution in explaining how and why this is so. Specifically, this issue is explored within a charity-philanthropy context. As the build component of…
Afghan National Police (ANP) and United States Special Operations Forces (USSOF) in Afghanistan have overlapping mandates that include the prosecution of terrorists, criminals, and insurgents. Although published literature acknowledges that this overlap creates jurisdictional pr…
Counterinsurgency (COIN) is a long process that even great powers struggle with. Nevertheless, South Korea as a middle power was successful with COINs in Vietnam and Iraq. What were the drivers for the Republic of Korea (ROK) military's success? This dissertation maintains that …