“Strategy vs. Tactics in Afghanistan”, by Ann Marlowe. Wall Street Journal, Vol CCLV, No. 127, p. A19, 02 June 2010.

Ms Marlowe has done some research on counterinsurgency strategy and has some interesting and telling comments. She points out that “good counterinsurgency can’t make up for the lack of a political plan” and she is absolutely correct. This is actually a strategy of tactics according to military historian Col. Gian Gentile at the USMA, meaning there are actions being taken on the ground but there is no overall objective. I find that troubling given Clausewitz states that “war is politics by other means”. Without the politics are we not in some difficulty?

It is also interesting that counterinsurgency has worked in the past but in those situations there was a good government in place. Such is not the case in Afghanistan. Will that be the downfall of the COIN strategy or will it be an exception to history. I don’t know but I hope for the exception.

This summer Ms Marlowe is to publish a monograph on David Galula, a French COIN theorist through the Strategic Studies Institute. I’ll look forward to reading it.