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From Counter-Force to Human Security? Experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan

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Bottom-Up Politics
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Abstract

The unfolding history of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq exposes a process of experimentation and adaptation by international policymakers and their military and civilian practitioners on the ground. The spectacularly quick victories of US forces over the Taliban and Ba’athist regimes initially appeared to confirm the validity of conventional military approaches to war fighting. But as violence and insecurity spread in what was supposed to be the ‘post-conflict’ reconstruction phase, US-led forces found themselves unable to defeat growing insurgencies in both countries despite their unparalleled military power. Moreover, soldiers fighting on the ground began to realize that traditional enemy-centric military tactics were contributing to the violence and instability in both theatres of war.

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© 2011 Marika Theros and Yahia Said

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Theros, M., Said, Y. (2011). From Counter-Force to Human Security? Experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. In: Kostovicova, D., Glasius, M. (eds) Bottom-Up Politics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230357075_10

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