Gentile: Take this COIN and shove it
COINhata Col. Gian Gentile, director of military history at West Point, has a provocative article in the new issue of Parameters, the journal of the Army War College. “Currently,” he asserts, U.S. military strategy is really nothing more than a bunch of COIN principles, massaged into catchy commander’s talking points for the media, emphasizing winning ...
COINhata Col. Gian Gentile, director of military history at West Point, has a provocative article in the new issue of Parameters, the journal of the Army War College. "Currently," he asserts,
COINhata Col. Gian Gentile, director of military history at West Point, has a provocative article in the new issue of Parameters, the journal of the Army War College. “Currently,” he asserts,
U.S. military strategy is really nothing more than a bunch of COIN principles, massaged into catchy commander’s talking points for the media, emphasizing winning the hearts and minds and shielding civilians.
I think he’s wrong, in a lot of ways, but I also think his article is worth reading. Col. Gentile is asking the right questions. (Just fyi, I get popped in a footnote as a “hagiographer.” No worries — that’s more polite than a lot of words I get called. I have no problem with robust discourse.)
More from Foreign Policy


The Scrambled Spectrum of U.S. Foreign-Policy Thinking
Presidents, officials, and candidates tend to fall into six camps that don’t follow party lines.


What Does Victory Look Like in Ukraine?
Ukrainians differ on what would keep their nation safe from Russia.


The Biden Administration Is Dangerously Downplaying the Global Terrorism Threat
Today, there are more terror groups in existence, in more countries around the world, and with more territory under their control than ever before.


Blue Hawk Down
Sen. Bob Menendez’s indictment will shape the future of Congress’s foreign policy.