A key component of India's successful counter-insurgency strategy involves an unusual recruitment pipeline. The state's District Reserve Guard actively recruits surrendered Maoist rebels, repurposing them to fight against their former allies. This approach bypasses traditional rehabilitation or prosecution, turning insurgents into state assets.

In mass movements and wars of attrition, having a charismatic leader is less critical than having a clearly defined enemy. As long as a figure like "the West" or the U.S. can be framed as the devil, the movement can sustain itself, even without a central figurehead to rally around.

Sending troops after an attack in Nigeria can be counterproductive. The military is too overstretched to maintain a presence, so the intervention often provokes reprisal attacks against local communities once the soldiers have left, increasing long-term risk for civilians.

President Traore's popularity, especially in urban areas, is buoyed by his charismatic, anti-imperialist posture. This allows him to deflect criticism from international organizations and maintain support, even as his "scorched earth" military strategy backfires, exacerbates the conflict, and constitutes war crimes in the countryside.

Regardless of intent, military actions like bombings create personal tragedies that radicalize individuals. This blowback is an unavoidable consequence of war, leading to revenge attacks and perpetuating the conflict, a factor often underestimated in strategic planning.

Countering the "blowback" theory, Harris argues that the perception of jihadist success—like the rise of the ISIS caliphate—is what truly inspires new recruits. Therefore, ensuring jihadists are consistently and publicly defeated is the most effective counter-recruitment strategy.

US agencies and linked NGOs actively recruit from marginalized and radicalized populations. These individuals' higher risk tolerance and perceived grievances make them ideal "frontline muscle" for instigating street protests and revolutions, as they are often more willing to get arrested and create disruption.

In times of extreme polarization, the political middle is not a safe haven but a kill zone. Moderates are targeted by both sides because they have no tribe to defend them. The escalating cost of neutrality forces everyone to pick a side, eliminating compromise and accelerating conflict.

Authoritarian leaders deliberately foster competition and division among their security services. This prevents any single group from becoming powerful enough to stage a coup, but it also creates deep-seated animosities and disaffection that external actors can exploit to destabilize the regime.