The Geo-Gendered Contradictions of U.S. Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency in the Middle East

This thesis will analyze the parallel but contradictory post-9/11 U.S. policies of counterterrorism (CT) and counterinsurgency (COIN) in the Middle East through a gendered lens by exploring the masculinization of the former and the feminization of the latter. Both policies were formulated to address the threat of terrorism but utilize contrasting methods based on gendered assumptions and therefore produce conflicting outcomes. I will establish the origins of CT and COIN in the reductive Americanized archetypes of the “uncivilized” Middle Eastern man and the “oppressed” Middle Eastern woman; analyze the ways in which they are gendered in practice, specifically through CT tactics like drone signature strikes and COIN tactics like Female Engagement Teams and consider their conflicting effects through their local impacts and strategic effectiveness. The racialized, gendered dimensions of this dynamic construct a geo-gendered contradiction comprised of colonial byproducts and gender hierarchy and are reified through CT and COIN practices.Master of Art