Defeating the Attempted Global Jihadist Insurgency: Forty Steps for the Next President to Pursue against al Qaeda, Like-Minded Groups, Unhelpful State Actors, and Radicalized Sympathizers

Peter Bergen and Laurence Footer

The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 2008, vol. 618, issue 1, 232-247

Abstract: Since September 11, 2001, al Qaeda has attempted to morph into a popular movement—what 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.

Keywords: al Qaeda; war on terror; jihadist; counterinsurgency; counterterrorism strategies; war of ideas (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:anname:v:618:y:2008:i:1:p:232-247

DOI: 10.1177/0002716208317785

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