Counterinsurgency
| Counterinsurgency link (Civil unrest/Preparation) | |
|---|---|
| Suppression of uprisings. |
Counterinsurgency is the repression of uprisings by the dominant power in a nation state. Other nations can assist with it. The methods employed vary widely as does the terrain in which the altercation takes place.
Counterinsurgency tactics have been employed in the jungles of Asian nations as well as the urban environment in Germany and Ireland during the 70's and 80's. British army officers are credited with pioneering the field, among them General Frank Kitson, who fought in Malaya, Kenya, Aden and Northern Ireland.[1]
Tactics may include:
- Psychological operations
- Population relocation
- Food control
- Mass detentions
- Torture
- Infiltration
- False flags - "pseudo-gangs" (double agents) [2]
- Assassinations
Criticism
The field manuals and propaganda behind counterinsurgency involves projection, where the enemy (often idealistic guerilla movements) is accused of the very atrocities the counterinsurgency specialist is committing on a large scale.