Culture, Context and Capability: American and Indian Counterinsurgency Approaches

Ayesha Ray
She worked at Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses from 2015 to 2015 read more
Monograph No. 57

This monograph is an attempt to examine American and Indian counterinsurgency experiences through the lens of historical context, organizational culture, and military capability. American and Indian approaches to counterinsurgency developed in sharply divergent historical contexts which shaped, to a large extent, political and military preferences on decisions to use force, significantly influencing the outcome of operations. This study is relevant to assess the future trajectory of US and Indian counterinsurgency operations. The monograph works like a primer, outlining some of the pressing questions and controversial debates that will continue to shape the counterinsurgency approaches of both countries.

About The Author

Ayesha Ray is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at King’s College, Pennsylvania, USA, where she teaches courses in International Relations, Conflict, World Politics, and American Foreign Policy. Her research focuses on civil-military relations, conflict, and security issues in South Asia. She is the author of The Soldier and the State in India: Nuclear Weapons, Counterinsurgency, and the Transformation of Indian Civil-Military Relations (SAGE, 2013). She has contributed several book chapters and articles in international publications. She has been a Visiting Research Fellow at IDSA, New Delhi (2015), Visiting Fellow at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Advanced Study, JNU (2016), and Guest Lecturer at the Center for International Politics, Organization, and Disarmament at JNU, New Delhi (2016). She has a Ph.D in Political Science from the Department of Government at the University of Texas at Austin, USA, and a Masters and MPhil in International Politics from the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

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Keywords: Counter Insurgency