| ID | 111891 |
| Title Proper | Population-centric counterinsurgency and the movement of peoples |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Jardine, Eric |
| Publication | 2012. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | The theory of population-centric counterinsurgency rests upon the untenable premise that the population within a theater of operations is fixed in place. By showing that people tend to move away from contested rural areas towards the relative safety and prosperity of counterinsurgent-controlled areas, this article demonstrates that this crucial premise is empirically false. Furthermore, a theory of counterinsurgent resource deployment, population movement, and incumbent strategic ineffectiveness is presented. Ultimately, the application of counterinsurgency resources actually dislocates the population from their place of residence and causes them to move into cities. When the urban areas' ability to absorb newcomers is overwhelmed, localized negative externalities emerge and can give rise to crime and insecurity. Such increased insecurity then creates an incentive for the counterinsurgency to retrench its resource use into the cities. As more physical territory is conceded to the insurgency, the relative strategic effectiveness of the counterinsurgency declines. |
| `In' analytical Note | Small Wars and Insurgencies Vol. 23, No.2; May 2012: p.264-294 |
| Journal Source | Small Wars and Insurgencies Vol. 23, No.2; May 2012: p.264-294 |
| Key Words | Afghanistan ; COIN ; Internal Migration ; ISAF ; Population - Centric Counterinsurgency |