oil-spot theory
n.— «The actual strategy which the government adopted in its attempts to prevent a communist takeover was only articulated to any appreciable degree in the military domain. It might be summarized as an urban-based strategy involving the abandonment of the rural areas and withdrawal into population centers. These were then to be employed as bases for a gradually widening net of operations into rural areas, or the so-called “oil-spot” theory. According to this strategy as communist units were worn down, the heavier government units could be moved into a wider perimeter, with their place being take by police or paramilitary organizations, which could maintain sufficient security to reestablish the local organs of government.» —“How They Won” by Jeffrey Race Asian Survey Aug., 1970. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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