mark_b you are right. The strategy had more to do with getting our troopers immersed with the local population to secure first their safety and thereafter their loyalty and cooperation. It also helped to emphasize our commitment to winning.

As the war lasts, the war itself becomes the central issue, and the ideological advantage of the insurgent decreases considerably. The population’s attitude is dictated not by the intrinsic merits of the contending causes, but by the answer to these two simple questions: Which side is going to win? Which side threatens the most, and which offers the most protection? David Galula “From Algeria to Iraq, All But Forgotten Lessons from Nearly 50 Years Ago”

http://www.rand.org/publications/randreview/issues/summer2006/algeria.html