Al Qaeda: A Modern Day Lernaean Hydra

Abstract

The latest in a long line of threats confronting the U.S. is a modern day hydra--Al Qaeda. Much has been written about Al Qaeda since it emerged in 1988. It has been labeled a terrorist organization by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of State (DoS), and the Department of Defense (DoD). Numerous authors and think tanks have characterized Al Qaeda as an insurgency. Still others have referred to it as a netwar organization waging conflict primarily through the use of networks. A few authors have characterized it as a religious movement. Like the Hydra, Al Qaeda has many heads: netwar; terrorism; and insurgency. And like the Hydra, it has proven to be resilient and difficult to defeat. This paper will show that Al Qaeda is a religiously motivated organization that employs the strategies and tactics of netwar, terrorism and insurgency out of necessity and as a means to achieve its goals and objectives. The paper will also assess the U.S. government's response to this threat and make recommendations for a more focused and tailored strategy to respond to this modern day hydra.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2010
Accession Number
ADA517900

Entities

People

  • Mark A. D'amato

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Civil War
  • Command And Control
  • Counterterrorism
  • Department Of Defense
  • Department Of Homeland Security
  • Education
  • Geography
  • Governments
  • Guerrilla Warfare
  • Improvised Explosive Devices
  • Law
  • National Security
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.