American National Security by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: mobi, pdf
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Published: 2011-01-14T05:00:00+00:00

To the extent that insurgent groups are organized around fundamental aspects of identity and religion, compromise and ultimate political reconciliation will be more difficult.37

A third noteworthy characteristic of contemporary insurgencies is their transnational nature. As discussed above, during the Cold War the international dimension of insurgencies often consisted of the external involvement of the superpowers or their allies in internal conflicts that had an ideological dimension. These transnational connections have become more complex and extensive over time, enabled by communication technologies and driven by many of the same processes that constitute globalization. For example, through “the internet, insurgents can now link virtually with allied groups throughout a state, a region, and even the entire world.”38 In a prime example, al-Qa’ida draws on local grievances and may either support or participate in internal conflicts as a means of furthering a worldwide, revolutionary agenda. This situation has led some policy makers and analysts to highlight the existence of a new “global insurgency.”39 According to U.S. military doctrine, combating “such enemies requires a global, strategic response—one that addresses the array of linked resources and conflicts that sustain these movements while tactically addressing the local grievances that feed them.”40

Insurgencies around the world can affect U.S. national security in at least two basic ways. First, as discussed in the opening of this chapter, given modern technology, it is increasingly the case that challenges of governance in any region of the world can have direct implications for the security of the U.S. homeland. Second, as the world’s only remaining superpower, the United States has global interests as well as the capability—and some would say responsibility—to play a leading role in fostering peace and stability in the international system. The internal and external instability that flow from insurgency constitute an important challenge to international security.

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