Sun Tzu Approach to Counter Al-Qaeda's Global Insurgency

摘要

Despite the multiple coordinated attacks carried out by Al-Qaeda (AQ) in the United States and at strategic locations abroad, there remain some leaders in government who are incapable of accurately assessing the strategic nature of this terrorist organization. As a nation we have devoted a tremendous amount of our country's strategic resources to analyzing AQ tactical operations. We have not however, rigorously examined AQ using established theoretical frameworks on war. This paper will attempt to examine AQ's operations through the tenets of Sun Tzu's theory of war, known as The Art of War. The primary purpose is to give the reader a better understanding of the relevant strategic operational methods employed by AQ, by briefly analyzing its past methods and operations against Sun Tzu's conceptual framework. The essay concludes with some initial recommendations on how the United States can restructure our current civilian-military doctrine using an 'Art of War' analytical framework to gradually curtail AQ operations.