In the beginning of the 21st century counterinsurgency has been at the center of the scientific debate considering war-studies. Great efforts have been made to achieve success in conflicts against insurgents in the Middle East. Much of the scientific contributions have been implemented in doctrines and strategic approaches but unsuccessfully so. Given the complexity of these conflicts many theories that have emanated from the subject fail to grasp the insurgents’ actions altogether. Considering these statements, the purpose of this essay is to conduct an explorative study of the First Chechen war in order to contribute to the understanding of the insurgents’ success.
The result of this study reveals that the theory I developed grasps the complexity of the conflicts but is overly detailed on how the insurgents should act. It is therefore not applicable to this conflict in its current form but cannot be dismissed, though. The Chechens mostly acted according to the theory. Therefore, the result of this study reveals that this insurgency had specific characteristics that need to be taken into consideration if one is to understand the outcome of the conflict. The study provides an indication that this might be true for other conflicts as well.