Stabilizing the Debate Between Population and Enemy-Centric Counterinsurgency: Success Demands a Balanced Approach

This thesis contends the debate on whether to embrace a population­centric or enemy-centric counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan detracts focus from building a balanced approach, customized for the human and political landscape in each area of operation (AO). The debate should be finally resolved since each strategic axis represents a crucial portion of the ideal hybrid approach, which necessarily looks different from one AO to the next. Each extreme, whether focusing all effort on kil...