Analysis of analytic models for the effect of Insurgency/Counterinsurgency Operations on the general population

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Authors
Damalas, Kimberly A.
Subjects
Advisors
Jacobs, Patricia
Zhou, Hong
Date of Issue
2008-06
Date
Publisher
Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
This thesis proposes and analyzes mathematical descriptive models of the effect of Insurgency/Counterinsurgency Operations on the population of a nation experiencing stability operations. The model is a system of differential equations representing insurgent activity, insurgent recruiting, insurgent removal by the coalition; the population's tolerance for insurgent violence; occurrence of actions by the coalition and insurgency the population perceives as beneficial and damaging, and the resulting change in the population's support for the government. The study focuses on a single population, attempting to identify and model the first order effects of stability force actions on the population. We represent and study the effect of possible strategies by local government and external stability forces to influence popular support toward the government. We find the greatest increase in popular support occurs when the coalition concentrates on performing actions perceived by the population as beneficial and mitigating the effects of its damaging actions. When the population does not perceive insurgent actions as damaging, we find the coalition has difficulty increasing popular support for the government. Coalition cooperation with local leaders in planning and executing beneficial actions may increase the perceived effect of coalition actions the population perceives as beneficial.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Operations Research
Applied Mathematics
Organization
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
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Format
xvi, 65 p.
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Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.
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