The Puzzle of Counterinsurgency and Escalation
The Puzzle of Counterinsurgency and Escalation
This chapter deals with the question of how the escalation process of counterinsurgency, as a qualitatively distinct form of warfare, differs from conventional war. Escalation is both the theoretical and practical key in unlocking the course and eventual resolution of all violent conflicts. The chapter illustrates the distinctive feature of escalation in insurgent-counterinsurgent clashes through the principles of strategic theory, stating that the escalation process in conditions of insurgency and counterinsurgency might be reconceptualized. It further argues that the process of escalation can never follow a pre-established pattern, since all wars are unique to their time and place, and will be influenced in their conduct by the unpredictable forces of reason, passion, and chance.
Keywords: escalation, counterinsurgency, insurgency, strategic theory, insurgent-counterinsurgent clashes
Columbia Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us .
