The Rise of the Counterinsurgents

One consequence of the Iraq War is that a set of doctrines -- and in some ways more to the point, a clique of individuals -- associated with the concept of "counterinsurgency" has come very much into vogue across both political parties. At the moment, the counterinsurgents are still a minority faction in the military, but they're on the rise and seem to be the ones with the friends in the press and the political world. What's more, whatever doubts I have about them, they're certainly preferable to the "let's gear up for war with China!" crowd that forms their main opposition within the military.

With that by way of throat-clearing, Spencer Ackerman has decided to do a little new media venture where he writes "The Rise of the Vulcans" or "They Knew They Were Right" before the faction at hand rises to hegemony. Thus, his ongoing series "The Rise of the Counterinsurgents" of which you can read the first edition here.