Kilcullen and the Efficacy of Contemporary Counterinsurgency

Australian Lt Col. Dr David Kilcullen has become one the leading theorists (and practitioners) of counterinsurgency (COIN) in the world today. His principle contribution to the theory of COIN has been largely based on an 'anthropological' approach, which he has termed 'conflict ethnography'. A review of his major works provides a basis to judge whether this approach has been effectively applied by the US-led Coalition forces in the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Apart from the issue of whether Kilcullen's COIN approach can or has delivered some success in these conflicts, the wider political and human rights implications of Kilcullen's theory also requires examination, in order to have a broader judgment on its overall efficacy.