| ID | 128230 |
| Title Proper | Winning hearts and minds |
| Other Title Information | legitimacy in the Namibian war for independence |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Visser, Lieneke Eloff de |
| Publication | 2013. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Efforts at winning hearts and minds (WHAM) impact on and are affected by perceptions of legitimacy. In the Namibian war for independence (1966-1989) efforts of the South African counterinsurgent forces at winning hearts and minds focused mainly on persuading the population to cooperate in exchange for material benefits and services. The article demonstrates that this successfully contributed to a dimension of legitimacy that is conceptualized as pragmatic legitimacy. However, other dimensions of legitimacy are identified in which the South Africans were lacking, that is in moral, legal, and identity-based legitimacy. Furthermore, in areas where control was contested and where the population could not be shielded from insurgent intimidation, it is argued that the effects of coercion outweighed legitimacy altogether. |
| `In' analytical Note | Small Wars and Insurgencies Vol.24, No.4; October 2013: p.712-730 |
| Journal Source | Small Wars and Insurgencies Vol.24, No.4; October 2013: p.712-730 |
| Key Words | Counterinsurgency ; COIN ; WHAM ; Hearts and Minds ; Legitimacy ; Persuasion ; Coercion ; South Africa ; Namibia ; SWAPO ; War ; Namibia War ; History ; Pragmatic Legitimacy ; Insurgent Intimidation |