The unsustainable theory of ‘counter- insurgency warfare’ in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Australia’s disastrous military campaign in Afghanistan has been based on the so-called strategy of ‘counter-insurgency warfare’ – COIN in the military vernacular. Yet for decades, COIN demonstrably has been an intellectually unsustainable theory.

COIN proponents shouldn’t escape attention when the final invoice for this shameful episode is presented.

Fall-out from the Afghanistan war crimes investigation will stain the Australian Army for years. The spotlight of blame very quickly has increased its glare to illuminate not only the privates, NCOs and junior officers directly involved, but also the higher commanders who failed in their leadership responsibilities. That’s as it should be.

But there’s another, pivotal…