Insurgency in the 21st Century

[Steve Blair]

Steve,

I am in violent agreement with you, as my old oppo in Mozambique would say 'you are deadly right'. The one qualification I would offer is that I think 'terror' is a common weapon that many insurgents choose to use if and when they think that the situation is appropriate.

Cheers

Mark

I agree. Terrorism is certainly a tactic, but there are also groups and individuals that rely on it to the exclusion of all else. Lumping them all together misses the boat, IMO, and can lead to poor decision-making.

[SteveMetz]

I agree. Terrorism is certainly a tactic, but there are also groups and individuals that rely on it to the exclusion of all else. Lumping them all together misses the boat, IMO, and can lead to poor decision-making.

I can't think of a group that relies on terrorism to the exclusion of all else that is effective. What makes AQ dangerous, in my opinion, is its combination of terrorism and an effective psychological/ideological campaign. I guess I would refer to a group that relied on terrorism to the exclusion of all else "nihilists." Ultimately I think it helps our thinking to group opponents by their objectives or, perhaps, their worldview, rather than by their techniques. AQ didn't pick us as an adversary because we used combined arms operations but because of what they perceive as our political objectives and worldview.