Publication

This paper compares the British and American counterinsurgency (COIN) approaches in the context of the revolutions in Malaya and Vietnam respectively. It analyzes how their different military cultures determined success or failure, focusing on four key components of COIN strategy: utility of military force, civil-military relations, population security and propaganda. The author argues that insurgencies and revolutionary wars are, by nature, "credibility wars," and that "winning hearts and minds" is the cornerstone of any COIN campaign.