Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) · 2006 · 59 citations · 0 references
Social SciencesHistoryPolitical ScienceArmed ConflictInsurgencyMilitary HistoryGuerrilla WarfareInsurgent MobilizationInsurgent OrganizationInsurgent StrategyRevolutionary WarfareState Response To InsurgencyCounterinsurgency DoctrineCounterinsurgency OperationsCounterinsurgency StrategyCounterinsurgency TheoryInsurgency DynamicsMilitary PacificationPacification CampaignsTransnational Counterinsurgency
As the United states ends its third year of war in Iraq, the military continues to search for ways to deal with an insurgency that shows no sign of waning. the specter of Vietnam looms large, and the media has been filled with comparisons between the current situation and the "quagmire" of the Vietnam War. the differences between the two conflicts are legion, but observers can learn lessons from the Vietnam-experience if they are judicious in their search. For better or worse, Vietnam is the most prominent historical example of american counterinsurgency (COIN)-and the longest-so it would be a mistake to reject it because of its admittedly complex and controversial nature. An examination of the pacification effort in Vietnam and the evolution of the Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support (CORDS) program provides useful insights into the imperatives of a viable COIN program.