COIN -v- CT debate

[Ken White]

If you give them the analogy and they go "Ahh" or "of course", then you can get on with discussions of the problem.

IOW, if they agree with your analogy, you're willing to talk? If not, they're stupid? Good approach. I take it you're not in sales...

If they instead simply can't see the connection, then, in my professional opinion, they really aren't prepared to discuss the problem at all, as they think it is something very different than what it actually is.

Professional opinion? As a Psychologist? As a Lawyer? As a Soldier? If not the first, then a degree of irrelevance is introduced.

Is it remotely possible that a particular focus blinds you to other possibilities?

Take your analogy a step further -- think of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers; put a mix of five Husbands and two Wives in the dock for assault. Then consider seven defense attorneys, one of whom is your Cousin and another of whom is a former law partner who is Godfather to your son. A third is a high national profile defense Attorney with an unlimited budget, a fourth is your Wife's brother. Have fun, Mr. Prosecutor.

Your analogy this time, like many of them, leaves the political milieu out of consideration and the quality of all players. Every nation where there is an insurgency will pose different political considerations dependent upon the number of external players and their roles -- and there are always external players. Plus, luck of the draw ascribes different capabilities to own forces, opponents and others and the domestic political milieu behind them.

In your analogy and in mine you get the advantage of breaking the case down to two individuals as with mine your response could be "I don't have to deal with seven defense attorneys at once, I can deal with each singly." True, however in dealing with nations, there is no dealing singly; there are always others with diverse interests involved to some degree -- to include the internal politics of your own nation. Also always present is the question of capabilities; own, opponent and interested parties. Those are real factors that will impact all you suggest and you cannot just wave all that away as you are prone to do. Not if you really want to be taken seriously.