The David Kilcullen Collection (merged thread)

[MikeF]

One lesson that I learned through the hard lessons of platoon leader and company command in combat that was reinforced in the advanced studies of academia was the importance of asking the right questions when trying to understand difficult problem sets.

Regardless of whether one is trying to conduct initial IPB (Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield) of a new AOR (Area of Responsibility) in a small war or embarking on a master's thesis, the questions asked drive the process.

Dr. Kilcullen begins with these questions that drives his thoughts,

1. What kind of state are we trying to build or assist?

2. How compatible is the local government's character with our own?

3. What kinds of states have proven viable in the past, in this country and with this population?

4. What evidence is there that the kind of state we are trying to build will be viable here?

Is he asking the right questions?

I'm about 50/50 with him. I think that he missed two big questions.