The Politics of Civil-Military Cooperation ― Canada in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan

Civil-military cooperation is a hallmark of contemporary military operations. Images of soldiers digging wells or helping to open schools characterize our view of what goes on in places such as Afghanistan. This book demonstrates that these operations overseas are indeed about winning hearts and minds—just not the ones we normally expect.

By examining Canada's civil-military cooperation efforts in Kosovo, Bosnia, and Afghanistan through the lens of Clausewitz's 'Remarkable Trinity', Ankersen shows that military action is the product of influences from the government, the armed forces, and the people at home. Drawing on interviews with politicians and practitioners, as well as first-hand field research, this book provides an in-depth examination of the important domestic relationships that drive overseas military activity. It highlights that contemporary civil-military relations are not only about soldiers following orders, but also negotiations, vested interests and contested group identities.

Christopher Ankersen lives in Southeast Asia and his current research interests include civil military relations, post-conflict reconstruction, and risk analysis. He has written widely on international relations, strategic studies, and defence policy, and has taught at the London School of Economics, the London Centre for International Relations, King's College London, Carleton University, and the Royal Military College of Canada. He has also been a consultant to militaries, governments and private firms in the UK and Canada and, from 1988 to 2000, was an officer in the Canadian Forces, serving with Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.