Defeating the attempted global jihadist insurgency : forty steps for the next president to pursue against al Qaeda, like-minded groups, unhelpful state actors, and redicalized sympathizers
By: BERGEN, Peter
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Contributor(s): FOOTER, Laurence.
Material type: 
ArticlePublisher: Thousand Oaks : SAGE, July 2008The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 618, p. 232-249Abstract: Since September 11, 2001, al Qaeda has attempted to morph into a popular movementwhat some have called "al Qaeda 2.0." If the United States is fighting against a global campaign of terrorism and classic insurgencies (or an attempted global jihadist insurgency), then it should employ a global counterinsurgency strategy to combat al Qaeda 2.0. This article recommends such a strategy, including the following suggestions: develop the military, intelligence, and language capabilities needed to win the conflict; improve counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan and eliminate safe havens in Pakistan; expand counterinsurgency strategy in Iraq; manage "blowback" and monitor ungoverned regions; develop an Internet-based strategy to attack the jihadis; start fighting the "war of ideas" like we mean it; adopt a more proactive foreign policy; and better secure the U.S. homeland.
Since September 11, 2001, al Qaeda has attempted to morph into a popular movementwhat some have called "al Qaeda 2.0." If the United States is fighting against a global campaign of terrorism and classic insurgencies (or an attempted global jihadist insurgency), then it should employ a global counterinsurgency strategy to combat al Qaeda 2.0. This article recommends such a strategy, including the following suggestions: develop the military, intelligence, and language capabilities needed to win the conflict; improve counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan and eliminate safe havens in Pakistan; expand counterinsurgency strategy in Iraq; manage "blowback" and monitor ungoverned regions; develop an Internet-based strategy to attack the jihadis; start fighting the "war of ideas" like we mean it; adopt a more proactive foreign policy; and better secure the U.S. homeland.
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