There is a discrepancy in today's view of how to succeed with counterinsurgency. On the one hand, we have legitimacy and on the other hand brutality as a method of achieving success the end state goals. The previous research is dominated by legitimacy, to contribute to the research I will examine brutality. Earlier scholars point out the use of brutal methods is required in order to achieve success, which contradicts with most democratic states’ values.
To contribute to the previous research, I will conduct a case study and investigate whether Gil Merom's theory of brutal counterinsurgency can explain the cases of the Second Chechen War and the Iraq War.
The results show that the theory can explain success and loss in counterinsurgency. Which strengthens the brutal counterinsurgency theory. The results of the study show that the use of brutal methods leads to success and thus proves the methods of brutality.