Socio-Political Foundation of Current U.S. Stability and COIN Doctrine?

[TheCurmudgeon]

Fellow Council Members,

I am finishing up a paper and I am looking for a resource that clearly states where the sociopolitical foundation of our current Stability and COIN doctrine comes from. While the common idea seems to be that it is based on some version of modernization theory, most post-Vietnam theories I could actually find are based in part on industrialization.

Does anyone have a resource that actually says what the foundational premisses of our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan were based on?

Just as important, has that sociopolitical basis changed since that time?

Thanks

[SJPONeill]

I have no idea but would love to see your findings when published.

Without giving it a lot of thought at the time, I always assumed that it was an extension of the population-centric approach to stability (COIN being practically, if not doctrinally, a subset of this) i.e. by building a stable society, you build a stable 'people'...to misquote MacArthur..."War's very object is 'the people', not prolonged indecision. In war there is no substitute for 'the people'.".

[TheCurmudgeon]

OK,
The best that I can determine our doctrine is not based on any specific Sociopolitical theory. It seems to be the intersection of four ideas:

1. Pop-centric COIN – do what it takes to keep the people happy and they won’t revolt against the Host Nation’s government.

2. Democracy promotion – via a form of democracy promotion advocated by Larry Diamond (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Diamond)that centers on building democratic institutions and providing government services.


Unlike many other political scientists, Diamond doesn’t hold economic development, or lack there of, as the number one factor in the decline of democracy. Diamond states that the efficiency of the government is the first problem.

3. Human Rights Promotion – support individual human rights in accordance with the UN Declaration of Human Rights.

4. Modernization Theory – although not applicable because most of the unstable countries will be rural and not industrialized, the idea that somehow democracy and human rights are the epitome of human social development seem to be indirectly traceable back to this theory.

Anybody see anything different?

[TheCurmudgeon]

Does anyone know if the term "nation-building" is officially defined in any US Doctrine. Checked the JP 1-02 and the ADRP 1-02 and could not find it.

I know Rand's definition, but would like to find something officail