The Foreign Service Journal, January 2011

.S. counterinsurgency doctrine, familiarly known as “COIN,” emphasizes “the peo- ple,” almost to the point of cliché. In Afghanistan the challenge for the United States and its allies on the ground is how to engage an exceptionally complex, ever-changing milieu of local leaders and communities. This means acting in a manner that effectively separates the population from the insurgency and strengthens the government in the process. M ICRODIPLOMACY IN A FGHANISTAN T HE EXPERIENCE OF A P ROVINCIAL R ECONSTRUCTION T EAM WORKING IN K APISA PROVINCE SHOWS THE GREAT POTENTIAL OF LOCAL ENGAGEMENT . B Y M ATTHEW B. A RNOLD AND D ANA D. D EREE Jim DeHart U C OVER S TORY 20 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1