April 7, 2009: Combatting "Terror" ("Overseas Contingency Operations")

The News:

From two years ago:

Little, pp. 319-328
C.M. Henry, "Security's Rhetoric," Northwestern Journal of International Affairs IV (Winter 2002), pp. 27-31
@-1 Christopher M. Blanchard, "Al Qaeda: Statements and Evolving Ideology," Congressional Research Service, updated June 20, 2005.
 
What is "terrorism"?
  1. indiscriminate violence (what about more surgical forms of violence - torture and/or beheadings?)
  2. vs. innocent civilians (what about attacks on US troops?)
  3. for a political purpose (what about crazies opposed to all politics?)
  4. by outlaws (what about "state terrorism")
U.S. definition: John Brennan, Interim Director of the National Counterterrorism Center 2004: "Terrorism is ... a violent act. It involves non-combatants. It is premeditated, perpetrated by a sub-national or clandestine agent, and politically motivated. And for non-combatants in non-warlike areas, combatants who are in a non-combatant status are also included....International" is also defined in the statute as "involving the citizens or territory of more than one country."
 
U.S. Counterterrorism Policy (under the Bush Administration)
  1. First, make no concessions to terrorists and strike no deals;
  2. Second, bring terrorists to justice for their crimes;
  3. Third, isolate and apply pressure on states that sponsor terrorism to force them to change their behavior; and
  4. Fourth, bolster the counterterrorism capabilities of those countries that work with the U.S. and require assistance.
From "War on Terror" to "Overseas ontingency Operations": what is "war"? What does "bringing terrorists to justice for their crimes" entail?
  1. war on Afghanistan? - how can state-building not be perceived as yet another imperialist crusade?
  2. differences between the American presence in Afghanistan and in Iraq??
  3. What is Al Qaeda? And Eng. Usama Bin Laden, Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri?
    1. "defensive jihad" - in defense of a colonized Islamic umma (nation)
    2. Clash of Civilizations!
    3. Usama's fatwa of 1998 vs USA - and bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania as retribution for Sabra and Shatila and other massacres of Palestinians.
    4. Zawahiri Warns Against Gaza Cease-Fire - speech in Feb 2009
    5. Zawahiri's 3 Foundations:
      1. Quran based Authority to Govern
      2. Liberation of the Homelands
      3. Liberation of the Human Being: overthrow dictators and "specify the power of the sharia-based judiciary"
  4. the ultimate judge: critical Muslim as well as Western public opinion
    1. Here is one local US think-tank's latest take: Stratfor, Al Qaeda: The Insignificance of bin Laden's Latest Message, Jan. 19, 2009
    2. Full text of Bin Laden March 14, 2009 video
    3. Ayman al-Zawahiri : March 24 2009 - full English text of Sudan video
  5. US soft power?
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April 4, 2009
Department of Government, College of Liberal Arts, University of Texas at Austin.
Questions, Comments, and Suggestions to chenry@mail.utexas.edu