Are We Fighting Terrorists or Insurgents? Why it Matters

Assuming that Robert M. Gates is confirmed as the next Secretary of Defense, the first decisive question he must answer pertaining to the US Global War on Terror is whether we are fighting terrorists or insurgents. There is a distinction, and there are significant differences in how to deal with each threat. Currently, there are multiple definitions of terrorism and insurgency coming from various government agencies, military services, and research "think tanks." Confusion is easy since both insurgents and terrorists use violence and fear to attain their specific objectives. The risk comes from mislabeling Al Qaeda as a terrorist organization and relying upon a predominantly military counter terrorism response for what can only be addressed by a more comprehensive socio-political counterinsurgency strategy.

This is a crucial flaw in the Bush Administration’s current strategy for the overall war on terror, and specifically the wars against Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations. There are key differences between terrorism and insurgency that expose Al-Qaeda for the terrorist organization it is. Nonetheless, Al-Qaeda is protected and supported by people around the world who have legitimate grievances against their governments and the West that give it the appearance of an insurgency. In order to effectively reach "Al-Qaeda the terrorists," we must work to eliminate the root causes of Muslim popular insurgency that shields them. This shield can only be effectively dealt with by following the principles of counterinsurgency that will erode Al-Qaeda’s ability to keep their supporters hostile to their governments and to American forces and policies. It is highly probable that Al-Qaeda will never attain its extremist goals once its true objectives become the central focus of the conflict. Most Muslims simply do not want a world as envisioned by Osama Bin Laden. Nonetheless, as long as US foreign and military policies continue to obfuscate Al-Qaeda’s true intentions and create the anger that draws attention away from those issues, the war will continue. Al-Qaeda has nothing to lose and everything to gain, and we have everything to lose by not emphasizing the classic principles of counterinsurgency as the foundation for the struggle. Let's hope that Dr. Gates is able to quickly tutor the senior leaders of the Bush Administration in how to properly deal with Al-Qaeda and put a winning strategy in place.