This is important in the 21st century since the clear lines of dominance between the Soviet and American spheres of influence no longer exist, and more and more conflicts focus more on terrorist or other sectarian groups with no national power, but funds and some level of popular support. It is a method of warfare that is counter-intuitive to the United States, yet addressing it is critical (Counterinsurgency Operations, 2009).
BACKGROUND: Until the fall of the Soviet Union, political and military conflicts were drawn between the lines of capitalism and communism. While both sides aggressively supported their own agendas by funding appropriately placed groups in the developing world, the definition of friend or foe was easier to grasp. Particularly after 9/11, however, the face of the "enemy" has changed from political to a variety of cultural, religious, territorial, social, and even historical conflicts in which not only have tactics changed, but the dramatic evolution of technology has changed the level of the playing field.
DISCUSSION -- Typically, there are four elements that form the overall rubric of an insurgency: 1) secret cell-networks, often operating globally; 2) terrorism used to foster insecurity among the civilian population; 3) new and creative means designed to foster support within civilian (local and international) populations; 4) attacks against the government, or governments (Metz and Millen, 2004).
Because these practices are so endemic, the United States must change its overall strategy towards international conflict, its methods of collecting and analyzing data, and most importantly, the response necessary to form what many call "Best Practices in Counterinsurgency" (Sepp, 2005). One particular paradigm shift within military thinking is changing the way battles become numerous skirmishes as opposed to more formal, all-out battles. Additionally, the focus is more...
Each level of the counter-terrorism strategy present in the United States has its own flaws and its own weaknesses. Law enforcement cannot be left behind in the pursuit for more professional counter-terrorist elite units. The New York Police Department sets the bar for what municipal police can put together in terms of counter-terrorism, NYPD Shield, as its known, has conducted several successful operations since its inception in the aftermath of
(Mahnken and Maiolo, 2008, p. 339); (Friedman, 2003); (Military Doctrine, Guerrilla Warfare and Counterinsurgency, 2003) "Disaggregation" could provide a new strategy for the counterinsurgency model for its war against terrorism. Disaggregation would involve prohibiting links between theaters, preventing global or regional insurgents to associate with or exploit potential local terrorists, disrupting the flow of information, propaganda and materials within and between jihad hotspots, abolishing sanctuary areas, identifying and isolating radical
These policies aim to prevent such proceeds from being utilized in future criminal activities and from affecting legitimate economic activities" (Anti-Money Laundering Authority, n.d.). Another action taken at the international level this time is represented by the cooperation programs which are designed to strengthen the level of information exchange on the one hand and the financial possibilities of the countries involved in the projects on the other hand. Thus, "Argentina
Counterterrorism In the contemporary world, terrorists are groups or individuals who use covert warfare to press for political, social, or cultural reform. Rather than using the political process though, they believe that violence is the only way they can prove to the world that their cause is just -- and the psychological terror engendered will engage the world, if not in sympathy, then at least in acknowledgement and fear that their
Mexico: Terrorism and Organized Crime The convergence in numerous means of organized criminal activities that include terrorism and drug trafficking is a developing concern in the United States and the entire world. Some professionals in this filed imply that the increasing number of cases of terrorism and organized crime groups are jointly coordinated and the trend is increasingly developing into a worldwide phenomenon (Rollins 2). These occurrences pose a great and
U.S. National Strategy What three United States national interests do you think will be at great risk over the next five years? Describe those interests and identify which instruments of national power can be leveraged to protect or advance those national interests and how those instruments can be used. As President Obama stated in his addresses to Congress in February 2009, the most important problem that the country faced was the economy,
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