Abstract

UNAL, Mustafa Coşar  and  ULUDAğ, Petra Cafnik. Insisting on victory: Victory versus success in limited and asymmetric wars. Rev. Cient. Gen. José María Córdova [online]. 2019, vol.17, n.28, pp.891-922.  Epub May 11, 2020. ISSN 1900-6586.  https://doi.org/10.21830/19006586.522.

In a COIN campaign, using the term victory, a military defeat of the enemy -in its classical definition- is highly problematic. A review of the Turkey-PKK conflict reveals that after Turkey's pursuit of a unilateral military victory, the PKK pursued a broader socio-political campaign by relying on asymmetric warfare and indirectness in combat. Military victory did not successfully end the conflict; it only changed its nature. Therefore, we suggest that success is a better concept to assess states' counter-insurgency campaigns. It focuses on political solutions and shifts perception from one-sided victory to a favorable outcome for all parties involved. Lastly, referring to the completed phases as a success offers better accuracy because the outcome in COIN is not merely a victory or a defeat.

Keywords : asymmetric warfare; insurgency; intra-state conflict; military defeat; success; victory.

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