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| Terror Networks & Islam |
| Islamist militancy compared to disease |
| 2005-09-08 |
| Islamist militancy requires a complex response because it is a complex phenomenon and whereas military force is sometimes necessary, it cannot serve as the exclusive focus of the response, according to a briefing or analysis prepared by Paul Stares and Mona Yacoubian of the US Institute of Peace. According to the two experts, the phenomenon of Islamist militancy consists of three main constituent groups whose memberships are constantly evolving and overlapping in significant ways. These groups are: first, transnational jihadist organizations with a global agenda, principally Al Qaeda and its affiliates; second, the nationalist insurgent groups with a local agenda like Hamas, Hizballah and some of the Kashmiri groups; and third, the myriad groups and networks that directly and indirectly support these organisations. âDistinctions among these groups are increasingly difficult to discern,â they point out. Stares and Yacoubian write that many commentators have employed disease metaphors to describe the challenge of Islamist militancy. Similarly, madrassas and mosques are described as âincubatorsâ of a âvirulent ideology.â The two authors argue that Islamist militancy is in many ways a social contagion; its underlying ideas and beliefs possess an âinfectiousâ appeal that continues to attract the terrorists and their many supporters. Still, whereas those infected by disease are typically passive receptors of the pathogen, Islamist militants willingly adopt the ideology and play an active role. Yet, if we accept that their actions are in large part driven by information and ideas to which they have been âexposed,â and which they have found to be attractive and compellingly âinfectious,â then the phenomenon of Islamist militancy can be seen to have epidemic-like qualities. It too, therefore, can be deconstructed using the classic epidemic model. Carrying the analogy further, the two experts argue that the âagentâ of the epidemic of terrorism is Islamist militant ideology which is made up of two âstrainsâ: a transnational, Salafist/jihadist ideology, as espoused by Al Qaeda; and a nationalist/insurgent Islamist militant ideology, as espoused by groups such as Hizballah, Hamas, and some Kashmiri militant groups. A disproportionate number of transnational jihadists appear to come from a few countries - Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan and the Muslim European diaspora. Stares and Yacoubian recommend an intensified effort to resolve the violent conflicts that have a particularly strong resonance within the Muslim world. Besides reducing their direct role in jihadist recruitment and training, conflict resolution efforts will help invalidate militant propaganda and buttress moderate support. The two scholars write that economic reforms that create an environment that is more appealing to foreign investors will help the Muslim world to integrate more effectively into the broader global economic system and help bridge the gap in relative performance. According to them, âThe combined effect of these containment, protective and remedial measures would divide, isolate and weaken the Islamist militant organisations and marginalise their operational impact. The pool of âsusceptiblesâ would also shrink, while the Muslim world, through various remedial efforts, would become more integrated into the broader global community. As with any global health campaign, success in countering the challenge of Islamist militancy will depend on a sustained commitment over years by a broad coalition of like-minded states acting in partnership with a multitude of non-governmental actors. There is no quick or easy cure to this complex threat.â |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #5 My prefered method of treatment is 7.62 suppositories as a prophylactic once an outbreak of the virus is dectected. There are smart munitions who arch toward the top of a tank (where armor is thin) and impact there. Time to develop a smart munition who arches towards the suppositories dockyard and impacts there. |
| Posted by: JFM 2005-09-08 10:25 |
| #4 "...Stares and Yacoubian recommend an intensified effort to resolve the violent conflicts that have a particularly strong resonance within the Muslim world..." In other words, the Rx is preemptive surrender. Typical of academics in leftist institutes. |
| Posted by: mhw 2005-09-08 07:52 |
| #3 My prefered method of treatment is 7.62 suppositories as a prophylactic once an outbreak of the virus is dectected. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet O´ Doom 2005-09-08 02:56 |
| #2 Islam is a pathogen. Islamists - jihadis - are the visible symptom of those in the dementia phase. Something like furious rabies with a thin candy shell of what passes for sanity among fellow demented fuckwits. "There is no quick or easy cure to this complex threat.â Um, actually, yes there is. It's just not personally palatable, at this time, to most of us. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-09-08 02:46 |
| #1 Lee Harris should sue them for plagiarism Al Qaedaâs Fantasy Ideology |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2005-09-08 01:43 |