After the two of us batting around ideas, one of my undergraduate Honours students has decided to write his thesis on an unusual--but I think, quite fascinating--topic: notions of COIN in popular culture, as evidenced in video and computer games.

He'll be looking at various contemporary "first person shooters," of the Ghost Recon, SOCOM, Joint Operations, Call of Duty 4, etc. variety, as well as the US Army's own free America's Army computer game.

Of course the relationship between popular culture and actual political and personal behaviour is a complex one: he isn't attempting to write a crude "violent video games makes for violent soldiers and misinformed public" thesis, but by the same token its hard to argue that one of the primary popular culture activity of a great many teens, young men, (and the occasional university prof) has absolutely no impact on social attitudes. It is also my sense that the typical first-person shooter (a popular past-time of off-duty troops on deployment) would make the authors of FM 3-24 cringe.

The relationship between popular culture and potential practice was highlighted last year, of course, when the Dean of West Point, Brigadier General Patrick Finnegan, unsuccessfully asked the producers of the TV series "24 Hours" to tone down its frequent use of torture:

However, it had become increasingly hard to convince some cadets that America had to respect the rule of law and human rights, even when terrorists did not. One reason for the growing resistance, he suggested, was misperceptions spread by “24,” which was exceptionally popular with his students. As he told me, “The kids see it, and say, ‘If torture is wrong, what about “24”?’
In any case, I would be interested in the perspective of SWC participants--and, if this thread becomes interesting, I'll point my student at it (and even ask him to join, once he's done more research).