Insurgents vs Terrorists -- Is there a difference?

[Jedburgh]

...I am surprised that so little study has been done in the most effective counter insurgency operation in recent history.

There has been a tremendous amount of study conducted on Soviet suppression of resistance and dissident networks, both in the USSR and in its satellite nations. However, most of that has not been in the context of COIN, but instead with a focus on a broad spectrum of HUMINT ops from the perspective of both sides. Not to mention the occasional crisis interplay of major geo-political actions (i.e. the Suez Crisis and the Hungarian Revolution)

But recently, some of those who have an interest in Dark Networks have spent a considerable amount of effort looking at Soviet bloc resistance/dissident groups in that specific context, to glean lessons-learned for dealing with terrorist networks.

Here's one interesting look at the subject: When Dark Networks Become Desirable: What Can the Experience of Political Dissidents Teach Governments About Terrorism?