Introduction: Modern Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in Comparative Perspective

Why do individuals and groups take up arms to wage guerrilla insurgencies? How are insurgent groups organized, and what strategies and tactics do they use? What determines how insurgent groups treat civilian populations? How can states best defeat insurgencies? Is violence—including the killing of civilians—an effective tool of counterinsurgency (COIN), or are softer 'hearts and minds' strategies more likely to yield results?