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DTIC ADA570359: Policy, COIN Doctrine, and Political Legitimacy

In a recent interview, Dr. John Nagl was asked what he would change in the rewrite of the Field Manual (FM) 3-24, Counterinsurgency. He responded The biggest question that we have to come to terms with as we rewrite the FM is whether its foundation on the promotion of host nation government legitimacy should be preserved. The manual was written at a particular point in time when democracy promotion was a key tenet of American foreign policy. And the two most important counterinsurgency (COIN) campaigns that we faced in Iraq and Afghanistan were campaigns in which newly created democratic governments were struggling. I am unconvinced that that is the right model, that the only way to achieve legitimacy is through democracy promotion early on in a counterinsurgency campaign. I think that this is the most fundamental question we have to come to terms with. Nagl's comments highlight three points. First, political legitimacy is still a key problem in COIN operations and something we did not get right the first time around. Second, the manual was written in the shadow of a specific political policy; spreading liberal democracy must be part of the goal of COIN and stability operations. Th

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