The wrong war

In 2004, the US tried to disable the Sunni insurgency through acts of naked force, most notably in Fallujah. It didn't work largely because the tactics used were "invasion" tactics rather than rooted in counterinsurgency.

So, now, when I see the US has finally published their new counterinsurgency manual, I find myself thinking that we are about to repeat the same tactical mistake.

It's no longer an insurgency. Across most of the country, it's a civil war.