Date of Graduation
Fall 2019
Degree
Master of Science in Defense and Strategic Studies
Department
Defense and Strategic Studies
Committee Chair
John Rose
Abstract
U.S. defense policy has often relied on a strategy of nation-building to reform the local government and address the root causes of the instability in a given nation or region. This strategy has, in recent years, been criticized for being ineffective and a wasteful drain on American resources. This paper will determine if such criticism is valid by analyzing the performance of four security environments where such a strategy was used: Vietnam, El Salvador, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The paper will determine if such a strategy was effective in these conflicts by analyzing the progress of reforms and, when possible, the final outcome of the conflict.
Keywords
nation-building, insurgency, counterinsurgency, Vietnam, El Salvador, Afghanistan, Iraq
Subject Categories
Defense and Security Studies | Military History | Other International and Area Studies | United States History
Copyright
© Joseph Valles
Recommended Citation
Valles, Joseph, "Analysis of Nation-Building during Insurgency in U.S. Defense Policy Strategy" (2019). MSU Graduate Theses. 3453.
https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/3453
Open Access
Included in
Defense and Security Studies Commons, Military History Commons, Other International and Area Studies Commons, United States History Commons
