ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book accounts for how security force behavior leads to collaboration which improves the likelihood of solving the identification problem. It explores common ground between coercion and persuasion. The book also presents a viable alternative to conventional wisdom in solving the identification problem. It also employs one case study each to show: variations on independent and dependent variables over time; how credible commitment is established; and the importance of collaboration in a technological era. The book focuses on the most meaningful analytical distinction in counterinsurgency (COIN) warfare: the identification problem. It focuses on the fungibility of military force in the COIN context by assessing the extent to which coercion is required to persuade. Militants bent on achieving their aims through the use of violence will remain a ubiquitous part of the American national security landscape.
