Quote Originally Posted by Fuchs View Post
It's always difficult to be sure about some concept or theory before it proves itself in practice.

That is a major issue with COIN theory; it does not seem to win a war. The successes always seem to be stuck on the local or regional a.k.a. tactical level.
Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan - there's no strategic success to be attributed to COIN theory.
Apart from the Boer War - 1899-1902 (perhaps not a true counter-insurgency) what COIN war has not been settled through some sort of political action? I would say that the military aspect is merely a means of buying time to allow a political settlement rather than face a military solution.