ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the principles and requirements of counter-insurgency operations and possibilities and constraints of future counter-insurgency operations. It defines the concept of counter-insurgency and highlights the options for international operations beyond counter-insurgency. Any study of counter-insurgency must establish the criteria by which separate campaigns across time and space are brought together under the particular rubric. The British Army defines counter-insurgency as those military, law enforcement, political, economic, psychological and civic actions taken to defeat insurgency, while addressing the root causes. The principles of counter-insurgency focuses on war as an intensely political endeavour may serve as important balancing tools against the conventionally focused military cultures that tend otherwise to dominate. The chapter outlines the limitations of the counter-insurgency approach and highlights the importance of salvaging the hard won lessons of the last decade.
