JohnT,

Thanks for your kind comments. But I'll take exception to even the mild criticism. First, I never claimed there was no research on small wars/COIN/IW/etc. I saw too many early drafts of Nagl's and Cassidy's dissertations/books in the very late 90s to ever say that. You do point out that there was indeed some doctrine. But there is a huge difference between doctrine published and doctrine absorbed. Did the publication of FM 100-20 impact the institution? I see little evidence.

But I do take very well your larger point (I think), that the current thinking about small wars/COIN is very much haunted by Iraq (and to a lesser extent, Afghanistan), and is in that sense ahistorical. I perhaps exemplify that, as the POP on piece was entirely written while I was in Baghdad (academic journals have a LONG lead time). But I think the next generation of joint and interagency doctrine will try to gain some critical distance, and perhaps much of the other writing will follow.

Thanks for taking the time to read.

Best,

Doug