1st step in COIN: Figure out the local governance system — and work with it

Everybody’s trashing COIN these days. Reminds me of the baseball player who fouls out and blames the bat. I think a COIN approach remains a useful tactic, as part of a larger strategy — if done well. But as Little Jimmy Rushing used to advise, it takes patience and fortitude.

Here’s a perspective from remotest Afghanistan.

By "A Staff Guy in Afghanistan"
Best Defense department of salvaging COIN

From my perspective a large part of COIN doctrine involves connecting the local population with the government. Coalition forces in Afghanistan spend a great deal of time and effort attempting to improve local governance and its relationship with the people. I would suggest that this local governance already exists and that our shortcoming, as coalition forces executing COIN operations, is our failure to recognize this governance and how the existing governance interacts with and within the larger governmental context. 

Take an average village. They have a village governmental structure that interacts with other villages, with their district, with local ministerial representatives, and with coalition and non-coalition elements. The village makes something — food, rugs, whatever — and this economic activity necessitates interaction with external actors. Basically, they import and export. Our problem set, as a coalition force, is how to understand both the immediate governance of the village and its interactions with the external actors.

The business of our village here will determine how much or little they support larger governance. If the external governance supports predictability in economic activity and the costs are not too onerous then, generally, they will. The business of the village will determine their support of more government. Similarly, that external government will want to be involved in the village if the village is a viable economic entity. Everyone wants a piece of the pie.

A good first step would be our understanding local, not national, governance and its economic impacts. Not just who, but what are the laws and structures that constrain and support this local governance. People are tied to their government when their livelihood depends on said government, their business determines how much or little they will support larger governance. It is not that everyone needs a government job or handout, rather the governmental structures in place need to support, predictably, the population’s day-to-day economic activity.

‘A Staff Guy in Afghanistan’ is not a disgruntled member of the AfPak Hands program. By the way, are there any gruntled members?