9/11/05: Defeating Al Qaeda, the Strategic Information Power
The appeal to perceived grievance and promise of an Islamist utopia made Al Qaeda a regional information power in a Middle East where political options were denied by tyrants. Four years ago today, the terror attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon made Al Qaeda a global information power. 9/11/01 was an international advertising campaign. Four years later, Al Qaeda remains a strategic information power, but little else. In ever other measure of power and success, Al Qaeda is very weak. Its military limitations are obvious. As U.S. Central Command’s Gen. John Abizaid recently noted, Al Qaeda has yet to win a military engagement with U.S. forces at or above the platoon level. (A platoon has approximately 30 troops.)
Percevied grievance and the promise of a jihadi Utopia are Al Qaeda’s political platform. In the late 1990s, Osama bin Laden said Al Qaeda’s strategic goal was restoring the Islamic caliphate. Bin Laden expressed a special hatred for Turkey’s Kemal Ataturk, who ended the caliphate in 1924.
History, going wrong for Islamist supremacists at least since the 16th century, really failed when the caliphate dissolved. Though Al Qaeda’s timeline to Utopia remains hazy, once the caliphate returns, the decadent modern world will fade, as Western power collapses — and presumably Eastern power, as well. (Islamists are active in China’s Sinkiang province.)
At some point, bin Laden-interpreted Islamic law will bring strict bliss to the entire world. If this sounds vaguely like a Marxist “Workers Paradise,” that’s no accident — the communists also justified the murder of millions pursuing their atheist Utopia.
Terrorism as practiced by Al Qaeda — and, for that matter Saddamist killers in Iraq — is 21st century information warfare. Terrorists don’t simply target London and Baghdad, they target the news media.
Al Qaeda understands that our media craves the spectacular. But don’t place all the blame on headline writers and TV producers. Like sex, violence sells, and Al Qaeda has suckered audiences by providing hideous violence.
At the moment, the truly biggest story on the planet is democratic political change in the Middle East, beginning with Iraq. It’s huge history, and a looming political disaster for tyrants and terrorists. When Western audiences decide that this is the real news of our era — and it is that — Al Qaeda will be dealt a death blow.
This weekend Al Qaeda is doing its best to grab global attention. Consider the tape ABC News ran on Good Morning America.
(Via ATT’s Daily News)
In an apparent Sept. 11 communique broadcast on ABC News, an al Qaeda operative threatens new attacks against cities in the US and Australia.
“Yesterday, London and Madrid. Tomorrow, Los Angeles and Melbourne, God willing. At this time, don’t count on us demonstrating restraint or compassion,” the tape warns. “We are Muslims. We love peace, but peace on our terms, peace as laid down by Islam, not the so-called peace of occupiers and dictators.”
American intelligence officials believe the man who appears on the tape to be Adam Gadahn of Orange County, Calif. Last year, Gadahn delivered a similar taped communique for al Qaeda. That tape was later deemed authentic.
On the new tape, delivered to ABC News, Gadahn’s message contains a very pointed al Qaeda threat against Los Angeles and Melbourne.
In response to the threats against their city, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the city’s police department released a statement this morning. They admitted to Los Angeles being a target of terrorism, but said there are no known, credible threats against the city and labeled the tape an instrument of al Qaeda propaganda.
“The statement broadcast this morning on Good Morning America should come as no surprise to anyone. The statement was meant to instill fear, and fear is the most important weapon the terrorists possess.”
Terrorists can be a very small group of people or a politically weak organization. What makes the small and anonymous appear powerful and strong? In the 21st century, intense media coverage magnifies the terrorists’ capabilities. This suggests that winning the global war against Islamist terror ultimately means accomplishing two things: denying the terrorists’ weapons of mass destruction and curbing what is currently Al Qaeda’s greatest strategic capability: media magnification and occasional media enhancement of its bombing campaigns and political theatrics.
Families Rally Against Sept. 11th Museum Holding up pictures of their loved ones and signs that read "Preserve Sacred Ground," more
Trackback by Unpartisan.com Political News and Blog Aggregator — 9/11/2005 @ 11:28 am
Al Qaeda isn’t interested in defeating platoon-sized groups of Americans. They want to kill or maim the most they can at one time. That would entail a terror attack larger than the Twin Towers. Also, this organization is a very patient, dedicated group. If they look at a plan encompasing four or five years in the making and deploying, and the end result is what they had in mind, we need to look at whether or not our country has been lulled into a false sense of security, due to the fact that we have not been hit since 9/11/01. If one looks back at history, the facts are plain as the nose on everyone’s face. Islamic “warriors” understand one thing and one thing only; raw, naked force. We, as the civilized nations of the world, must employ raw, naked violence against this enemy. They understand and respect power. I say, show them the power! We need to eradicate every last one of these muslim jihadists and all of their sympathisers. Crush them, obliterate them and show them what real power is all about. Forget about understanding them. I am not interested in understanding the car bomber, the kidnapper, the beheader. Let the liberal media lament about how we need to understand these fanatics. They understand only one thing; Our complete and total destruction. It is clear to me that if our prefered way of life is to survive, the jihadists and the rest of their ilk, must be eradicated.
Comment by bob — 9/11/2005 @ 8:10 pm
Excellent conclusion. I only fear that the “media” wields a double-edged sword. On one hand, it does, as you say, “magnify” (or promote) people, stories and events which aren’t particularly newsworthy or might otherwise not gain much attention. (e.g. accusations of racism against the Bush administration as related to NOLA) On the other hand, it also serves to downplay people, stories and events which should garner more scrutiny and widespread public awareness. (e.g. the failings of Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin as related to NOLA) The same lopsided reporting applies to examining the threat of illegal immigration while minimizing reports on the risks to homeland security. Media bias determines the weighting. Fortunately, the blogosphere has taken away the MSM’s monopoly.
Comment by California Conservative — 9/11/2005 @ 9:26 pm
[…] ape Public Opinion Filed Under: Terrorism, Media, Iraq, Homeland Security Austin Bay offers an interesting view on the role of the media in promoting the efforts of terrorists. “[ […]
Pingback by California Conservative » Reporting On Terrorism: The Role of The Media To Shape Public Opinion — 9/11/2005 @ 9:44 pm
Remembering… September 11, 2001
Trackback by Speed of Thought — 9/12/2005 @ 2:09 am
I’m in total agreement with you when you say we must deal a strong hand toward the militant Islamist jihadist, who would destroy our way of life as westerners, that is, our democratic way of living, our way of taking responsible means to vote, as well to argue the things we deem right or wrong, and to silence, or put down those who would destroy us, our children, our faith in our GOD, and our sacred places of worship and peace! WE, as Americans must understand that ther are “evil” muslims, and jihadist who would murder and kill us if given the opportunity to do so right here today, in America, and all western demoracies. Therefore, we must at all cost, even as our military, President, and the great British leader, Tony Blaiir, who have said, we will not tolerate the evil jihadist, and will hunt them down and destroy those who would destroy us and our people…..to which I believe we all should say Amen! Larry, in Raleigh, n.c.
Comment by larry — 9/12/2005 @ 2:19 am
Defeating Al Qaeda, the Strategic Information Power Austin Bay writes: (via Instapundit) Terrorism as practiced by Al Qaeda — and, for that matter Saddamist killers in Iraq — is 21st century information warfare. Terrorists donÂ’t simply target London and Baghdad, they target the news media. Al Qae…
Trackback by The New Editor — 9/12/2005 @ 2:26 am
Ought one not control or destroy whatever is al-Qaeda’s greatest asset?
Comment by Kralizec — 9/12/2005 @ 2:29 am
Yes you are correct. The media is merely the propaganda arm of the terrorist movement. Journalists are stupid people generally with crude instincts. A Hurricane hits part of the US coastline with under a thousand killed. Suddenly no other news in the world exists to the imbecilic media. They replay tapes of flooding from weeks past, over and over ad nauseum, long after the waters have been drained. They are idiots. Anything that is truly news is going unreported.
Comment by Arput Mehdi — 9/12/2005 @ 5:10 am
A few things that we must not forget, concerning why we have not been attacked by terrorists: 1) We blasted them in Afghanistan, so they have had to scatter like lice exposed to the sun; 2) the rank and file may prefer death over life, but the leadership prefers just the opposite; that’s why they ran like rats while we decimated the Taliban. These crazies are cowards, and they have not attacked us because they know we are not the softies that they thought we were, so the next time around, if there is a next time– which I doubt that there will be–no country in the Middle East that harbors or finances these nut cakes will be safe from the wrath of the American people. Make no mistake the real problem that we face is not so much the terrorists, but the countries that harbor and/or finance the terrorists, namely, the Saudis, the Syrians, the Iranians, the Yemenis etc. These countries’ leaders hate us because we are a Democracy; they hate us because we are prosperous; they hate us because we are free to criticize our government, and they hate us because we have a Constitution that protects us from tyranny. In short, we are a threat to the tyrants in the Middle East who continue to have a strangle hold on their people. The result is that they provide safe haven and money to the terrorist even as they profess that they do not. This is a continuing, festering problem, and sooner or later we will be forced to put an end to it
Comment by Ulysses — 9/12/2005 @ 7:42 am
Terrorism And The Media Over the weekend, I saw video and text of a second set of ravings believed to be from Adam Gadahn, an American-born jihadist. He made threats against Los Angeles and Melbourne. My first thought was to question whether this was really newsworthy. We r…
Trackback by Myopic Thoughts — 9/12/2005 @ 9:26 pm