Clausewitz and Terrorism

Jon Nakapalau, CHSO, CPO

Premise:

I would like to argue that non-traditional, asymmetrical, and unconventional arenas of conflict utilize Clausewitz’s Three Reciprocal Actions of War in reverse:

"War is thus an act of force to compel our adversary to do our will."

THIRD RECIPROCAL ACTION

“If we desire to defeat the enemy, we must proportion our efforts to his powers of resistance.”

Concept and Design:

Any terrorist group must confront two important points before forming strategic plans:

• Do we have the means to resist our enemy? • Do we have the will to resist our enemy?

What are the factors that will determine the power of resistance?

RECIPROCAL RESISTANCE:

One of the masters of applying this strategy was General Vo Nguyen Giap who used Mao’s principles against US forces in the Vietnam War.

General Giap has stated on several occasions that the massive resistance towards the Vietnam War by young people was used as a tactic:

“But we were elated to notice your media was helping us. They were causing more disruption in America than we could in the battlefields. We were ready to surrender. You had won!"

What was the level of resistance relative to the shifts in power taking place even as the peace movement “ripple effect “ spread throughout the country?

General Giap took advantage of the fact that America was fighting a two front “metaphysical war” in which policy was viewed via a highly polarized generation gap.

For the first time in US history popular culture was used not to reinforce the message of the state, but to reinforce the message of resistance.

What are we fighting for?

In this case it becomes clear that the asymmetric nature of this conflict was challenged by a resistance that was not only from the enemy but also from a group that did not support the war.

This group was made up (to a large extent) of the very people who would have to fight the war as it continued.

General Giap understood that this second front would be a battle fought not only over the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese people but also the hearts and minds of the generation of young American men asked to fight .

“If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost Middle America.”

Lyndon B. Johnson

SECOND RECIPROCAL ACTION

“We have already said that the aim of the action in war is to disarm the enemy, and we shall now show that this in theoretical conception at least is necessary.”

Disarmed but Fighting

Disarming the enemy now takes place both on and off the battlefield.

As the media reports how different conflicts evolve there is often a change in perception as far as who is right and who is wrong.

Disarmament can now occur in front of an audience as we turn on the evening news; how many times have we watched as friend becomes foe and vice versa.

“Philosophical disarmament” often takes place long before any real action on the part of combatants occurs.

At some point the concept of disarming can (in and of itself) become a way of fighting by using the perception of the population to rally the people behind a cause.

Disarmingly Hostile

“As the excited passions of hostile people are of themselves a powerful enemy, both the general and his government should use their best efforts to allay them.”

Antoine-Henri Baron de Jomini

Torsional Resistance

External ResistanceMuch of Africa has been in turmoil because the colonial powers that once ruled over them left the continent with no infrastructure and no civilian leadership to take over the government.

After a country has been ravaged by war terrorists and organized crime syndicates then take advantage of this next stage of destabilization to fill the power vacuum that exists.

This has lead to the continued conflicts that many African countries face to this day.

Internal Resistance Vast amounts of natural resources exist in Africa; that they do not have the technology or infrastructure to market these resources has lead to internal resistance by large segments of the population.

This has lead to the perception that the more developed countries help only those nations that are willing to aligne their ideological beliefs with the global north in return for aid .

China’s footprint in Africa is deepening due to ideological “yellow tape” affixed by the very nations that sought to colonize Africa in the last century.

FIRST RECIPROCAL ACTION

“If we desire to defeat the enemy, we must proportion our efforts to his powers of resistance. This is expressed by the product of two factors which cannot be separated, namely, the sum of available means and the strength of the will.”

Will to Power

Utmost exertion of powers occurs only after the two other actions have been set in place.

The terrorist has now cast the State in the role of the aggressor and the use of military power becomes a projection of this role.

By failing to see the reversal of the three reciprocal actions the State has fallen into a trap; use of force over an extended period of time will now start to corrode the moral outlook of different groups (i.e. the farmers in Vietnam and the young people of America).

A second philosophical front has been opened which will flank the will of the State.

When can the stronger means and will to defeat an enemy be utilized to the advantage of a weaker opponent?

When the contest is so weighted in the favor of one opponent that it ceases to be taken seriously by the stronger of the parties involved.

The recent political uprisings in the Middle East illustrate how one day we find ourselves supporting a certain regime only to find that the next day we have to make a choice when the majority of the people no longer support that regime: this illustrates the difference between means and the strength of will.

Summery:

• By reversing the Three Reciprocal Actions of War the weaker of the two combatants sets in place advantages.

• Resistance is a battle that takes place on a physical and metaphysical battlefield.

• Reciprocal resistance is a factor that must be looked at as the conflict evolves.

• Popular culture and the media often germinate concepts of reciprocal resistance.

• Disarmament is a way to philosophically “arm” large segments of the population who are disenfranchised.

• Harnessing the passion of hostile groups is a way to arm them.

• Torsional resistance occurs when internal and external stressors work in conjunction to weaken the state.

• By failing to see the reversal of the three reciprocal actions the State will fall into a trap.

• This trap can lead to many opportunities for misunderstanding.

• In the age of globalization this misunderstanding can be manipulated by the media, political parties and governments.

THE END