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The Jihad Playbook

February 17, 2006

A Couple new studies have come out to beat the terrorists:

The “Playbook” study takes a different approach, outlining six major trends in the thinking of prominent jihadists, including al Qaeda No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri, and describing how the United States could counter each one:

-Direct engagement with the United States has been positive for the movement because it rallies locals, drains U.S. resources and puts pressure on Washington’s allies.

-To counter the first trend, the study says the United States “should avoid direct, large-scale military action in the Middle East. If such fighting is necessary, it must be done through proxies whenever possible.”

-Jihadist ideologues want to establish Islamic states that can be used as training bases and to help develop the “nuclei of the future jihadi order.” But rather than overthrowing a sitting ruler, they would be content to create enclaves in poorly policed regions.

-The movement has become decentralized, making training camps obsolete and opening doors to new venues for training, such as urban areas and the Internet. …
Therefore, the study authors write, the United States “must be aware of the consequences of creating new theaters for jihad, particularly in the Arab world. The U.S. must also find ways to redirect the alienation among Muslim youth that is fueling recruitment.”

-The United States should compete by helping local surrogates establish their own enclaves “in regions where there are security vacuums,” according to the study.

-Since Jihadists frown on bad publicity and want to foster an image that will convince people to join their groups, th eUS should use Cold War-era propaganda tactics to covertly sway public opinion. Attempts by the U.S. “to elicit pro-American feelings in the Middle East by making public pronouncements about the true nature of Islam or the virtues of democracy” should be avoided.

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Some of these are obvious, but its nice to know that some of the smart people are actually looking at real alternatives.

Written by untiled · Filed Under Conservative Liberal Moral Politics 

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