The Roman Empire showed how you defeat an insurgency militarily - by exterminating/recruiting the population of the target nation.
The Romans generally preferred to co-opt local elites and win hearts-and-minds. When the Catavelauni were “conquered” they had already been trading with Rome for 50 years and loved Roman merchandise and culture. Caesar showed up with his legions one day and instead of fighting they said what took you so long?? Can we be Romans now please?
The US could have done this in the 1980s in most of their former enemies I reckon. Levi’s, Coca-Cola, Hollywood, Michael Jackson and Madonna. But somehow they ballsed it up...
The Romans generally preferred to co-opt local elites and win hearts-and-minds. When the Catavelauni were “conquered” they had already been trading with Rome for 50 years and loved Roman merchandise and culture. Caesar showed up with his legions one day and instead of fighting they said what took you so long?? Can we be Romans now please?
The US could have done this in the 1980s in most of their former enemies I reckon. Levi’s, Coca-Cola, Hollywood, Michael Jackson and Madonna. But somehow they ballsed it up...