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Dr. Sebastian Gorka Strategy and Current Wars – Who is the Enemy?

Dr. Sebastian Gorka Strategy and Current Wars – Who is the Enemy? . Disclaimer. The views herein expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the US Department of Defense or any other US Government Department or Agency . MESSAGE.

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Dr. Sebastian Gorka Strategy and Current Wars – Who is the Enemy?

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  1. Dr. Sebastian Gorka Strategy and Current Wars – Who is the Enemy? National Security Strategy Congressional Lecture Series 21st Oct 2011

  2. Disclaimer The views herein expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the US Department of Defense or any other US Government Department or Agency

  3. MESSAGE America has lost its capacity to think strategically We no longer prioritize based upon national interests If you want to understand the enemy, read what he writes and listen to what he says Al Qaeda / AQAM is a product of decades and even centuries of ideological evolution Do not obsess on violence – AQ is scary but those who use the indirect, non-kinetic approach (e.g. the Muslim Brotherhood) may be even more dangerous Both the violent terrorists and non-violent jihadists have the same aim: destroying our country and its values

  4. SIMPLE, Correct?

  5. Has our Strategy Changed? GWOT V Long War /CIST V CVE / OCO V Global Counterinsurgency?

  6. Strategy 101 • Sun Tzu (6-5th Century BC) Know the Enemy AND yourself • Carl von Clausewitz (1780 -1837) The first responsibility of the commander is to know what kind of war he is fighting

  7. Who are We? What is Our Strategy?

  8. Who is the Enemy?AQ’s Evolution pre AQ: MAK – Abdullah Azzam’s Arab Service Bureau Gen 1: commonality – Afghanistan Gen 2: commonality – Bosnia Gen 3: commonality – Chechnya/Georgia AQ 4.0= ?? The shift to ideology – “Global Jihad” – Self-Declaring Groups?

  9. Who is the Enemy? II • Krauthammer: “”Existential Threat” • Powell (etc.): Terrorism • Bush: Islamofacism? • GEN Petraues: DoD FM 3-24 (COIN) • Kilcullen et al: Global Insurgency??

  10. What is al Qaeda? Important dates: 1918-1924End of Caliphate 1945-1948 Creation of Israel 1979 (1499) Soviet Invasion of AFG, Iranian RevolutionAND theSiege of Mecca 1988 Soviet Withdrawal AFG 1990/1 Fall of USSR / Gulf War I

  11. The Power of Words War’s Objective is Allah’s Sovereignty. Terror is our main weapon in Jihad. Brig S.K. Malik The World as Heretical, to be cleansed forcibly by Islam which is a “Revolutionary Party” Sayyed QUTB Jihad as a Global Brand Abdullah AZZAM We can Destroy the Zionist-Crusaders as we did the Soviet Union. All Muslims must fight. ZAWAHIRI

  12. TAKE-HOME • AQ is just a small part of a much larger and older movement • That movement has a plan to destroy our system using ALL means – not just violence • This includes political and economic warfare and very sophisticated information operations • This war is potentially more dangerous than even the Cold War • We need a REAL Strategy

  13. We Knew More 7 Years Ago • Our enemy “is sophisticated, patient, disciplined and lethal.” • “the institutions charged with protecting our national security did not understand how grave this threat could be, and did not adjust their policies, plans, and practices to deter or defeat it.” • “In short, the United States has to help defeat an ideology, not just a group of people. The 9/11 Commission Report

  14. Two Enemies, One Goal Violent Jihadists: AQAM Non-Violent Jihadists: e.g. Muslim Brotherhood Sharia Law / Caliphate

  15. The New Threat Environment: Not so New! From: S. Gorka and D. Kilcullen: An Actor-Centric Theory of War – JFQ 60, 2011

  16. QUESTIONS? Dr. Sebastian L. v. Gorka Tel. 703 300 5014 gorka@defenddemocracy.org seb.gorka@gmail.com

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