Dealing with Insurrections

I came across this while on Instapundit this morning from Foreign Policy Magazine:

Insurgencies Rarely Win – And Iraq Won’t Be Any Different (Maybe)
By Donald Stoker

"Vietnam taught many Americans the wrong lesson: that determined guerrilla fighters are invincible. But history shows that insurgents rarely win, and Iraq should be no different."

Read the rest

This article got me to thinking about insurgencies in general and the article coincides with everything I have read lately military & history wise regarding unconventional warfare. While Iraq is still dangerous, the war in Iraq is still winnable (contrary to popular perception). An insurgency's most potent weapon is informational warfare, and unfortunately, they are winning that front. Much of the blame can be laid upon the MSM but at the same time the US has done very little to counter their efforts. The public front is just as important at times as the military front.
Insurgencies to me are to what fear is in the night. That creepy, pit in your stomach feeling that something may be out there or wrong. Only when morning approaches and as relief settles in do you look back in hindsight at the true reality of the night before. Insurgents are the boogie men in your closet and they feed on your fear. When they are no longer feared, they lack power.