Anthony Cordesman delivered a talk at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace entitled “Rethinking the Challenge of Counterinsurgency Warfare,” November 7. Among the topics covered were:

* The complexity and instability of operations, and the need for time and patience
* Knowing when to "play" and when "not to play"
* The need to plan for complexity and cost
* Focus on the desired outcome of war, not simply the battle situation
* Understanding the state of the enemy, as well as our own vulnerabilities
* Utilizing the full spectrums of options, both military and political