Originally posted by xpert11
There were Chinese who disagreed with the Communists, but they along with other Malayans were forced to cooperate with the Communists. The program
involved the forced relocation of Chinese immigrants and others who were located in or near the Malayan jungle to new settlements. The new settlements
were given around the clock police supervision and were partially fortified. The British also tried to win the hearts of the new settlers by providing
them with education, health services and homes with water and electricity.
source
Ok we know that in order to win a counter insurgency you have to separate the insurgents from the local population as well as win the hearts and mind
battle.
So I put forward adopting the Briggs Plan and implementing it in Southern Afghanistan. The plan isnt perfect people are forced to move to other areas
but it is a much lesser evil then the current state of affairs. Once people have been relocated they will have better access to education and health
care e.t.c
After the local population has been separated from the enemy the hearts and minds battle can be won. The Briggs plan would only form a part of the
plan that leads to the war being won in Afghanistan. The coalition needs to expand the war into the tribal areas of Pakistan to ensure that the enemy
has no haven.
Hi everyone, interesting discussion going on here. A short intro: I'm an 18-year-old male from Singapore, which was part of Malaya until 1965 when
the Malayan Emergency against the Communists ended and we gained independence. That being said, I am a direct beneficiary of a successful
counter-insurgency policy. Just made an account. So what brought me here? God's will? That and because I'm deeply concerned for the War in
Afghanistan (it's been five years since the last post and it is still going strong). Let's all agree first of all that we do not want another
Vietnam because unlike nationalistic Communists, terrorism will not end with a withdrawal. In my opinion, the Briggs Plan may not work because of
short-term problems in a different context but if it were modified and supplemented with other strategies, it shall turn the tide in Afghanistan
within a Presidential term.
First, some context. Malaya was quite a different place. Unlike Afghanistan, almost no one suffered from PTSD and the bloodiest history would be a
two-week Japanese invasion that routed the British during WW2. When Britain returned to reclaim their colony after the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings
(thank you), they faced the threat of rising Communism. Much like Afghanistan, before Briggs was implemented, the British were protecting key economic
and military installations while surgically eliminating Communist strongholds and arresting Communist sympathisers. It did not work and civilian and
police casualties mounted.
The Briggs Plan reversed the situation through resettlement of majority-Chinese (Communist-prone) villages. In practice, that would mean removing
majority-Sunni Muslim (al-Qaeda-prone) or Pashtun tribesmen (Taleban-prone) into 'New Villages' that would, let me stress, provide
education,
health services and homes with water and electricity - something that most Afghans lack.
A third of Afghans live below the poverty line, half
of them are at risk of doing so and all would appreciate a better standard of living. Unlike you and I, they even fear walking out at night.
The Briggs Plan served a dual purpose: Keep Communists out and villagers in, thus effectively cutting Communist supply lines. If implemented, the
insurgents would lose their source of food, water, fuel and illegal weapons from a local support base. They could still obtain it via other
internationalised means but US drone operations and CIA intelligence ought to effectively deal with that. At the same time, support against terrorism
would grow as hearts and minds are won.
Finally, the Briggs Plan included new identity cards. Sounds simple does it not? All Afghan civilians would have to make one and at the same time go
through intense but harmless process of background checks, photographs taken, etc. In fear of appraisal, many insurgents would not register, thus
making arrests easier when conducting day-time checks (as opposed to night-time raids). Furthermore, green-on-blue killings could be avoided by
heavily engaging the Afghan police and military for such tasks.
Know note that neither xpert11 or I feel that this is the perfect plan but let us all agree that current methods are not working in Afghanistan and we
need a strong America once again. ASEAN needs you to maintain a balance of power in Asia with a rising China and as a valuable trading partner. Under
the Briggs Plan, the Malayan Emergency ended in 12 years with fierce fighting down in 7. There is hope yet for Afghanistan not just in rockets but in
relationships.
Praying.