The ICCS Blog: 'Beyond Hearts and Minds'

By Simon Copeland. Whilst the costly engagements of Iraq and Afghanistan look set to herald a return to the 'proper business of soldiering', or major combat operations, for the armed forces of the west, the messy undertaking of counterinsurgency (COIN) operations cannot simply be discounted by military planners, no matter the unlikelihood of being called to carry them out in the near future.