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counterinsurgent

counterinsurgent

1 8.5
Relating to actions or plans a government uses to fight a rebellion
  • adjective
  • /ˌkaʊntərɪnˈsɜrdʒənt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : contrainsurgente
  • The government's counterinsurgent operations aimed at dismantling the rebel groups were met with mixed reactions from the public.
  • counterinsurgent forces

Examples

  • Washington developed no clear policy toward Guatemala, where both guerrilla and counterinsurgent violence were escalating, or for dealing with the impact on Honduras of dismantling the contra establishment.

    Academic text (1990)
  • A positive trend in this metric would indicate that the population was providing "actionable" intelligence and that the initiative was passing from the insurgent to the counterinsurgent forces.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Success here would be a clear indication that the counterinsurgent forces were winning the intelligence battle.

    Academic text (2005)
  • This leads to the related topic of the configuration of the counterinsurgent force.

    Academic text (1993)
  • A lack of insurgent activity does not necessarily mean success for the counterinsurgent forces.

    Academic text (2005)
  • A fundamental question here is: who was drafted or volunteered to serve in the counterinsurgent forces in Namibia?

    Academic text (1993)
  • A Policy of Violence: Insurgent and Counterinsurgent Tactics in the Algerian War of Independence and Algerian Civil War.

    Blog text (4)
  • This paper seeks to detail a historical overview of each conflict, then detail and analyze the strategic and tactical methods for each insurgent group and, to a lesser extent, for the counterinsurgent groups.

    Blog text (4)
  • The counterinsurgent campaign in 1983 prevented the creation of a permanent territorial base in the departments of Ayacucho and Apurimac but led to the expansion of insurgent operations northward in the central Andes.

    Academic text (1993)
  • In a complex environment, effective counterinsurgent strategies are necessary to regain control over affected regions.

Surface Forms

counterinsurgent positive

Morphology

counterinsurgent = insurgent (transparent) = counter + insurgent

Meaning is the straightforward combination of counter- ('against') + insurgent ('rebelling'), yielding 'against insurgency' or 'opposed to insurgents'.

Etymology

Counterinsurgent combines counter- meaning 'against' and insurgent meaning 'one who rises up', so you can think of it like a counterattack against an uprising; counterinsurgent tactics are the actions used to fight a rebellion.