Global Focus provides open source intelligence on national and international security issues - religious extremism, terrorism and insurgency, humanitarian intervention, weapons of mass destruction, asymmetric warfare, Psyops, perception management and related topics.

(Below are links to brief descriptions of various topic areas. Following each description are links to the subject pages. To go directly to a subject page use navigation links at left side of page.)

21st Century Security Challenges

New World Disorder
Religious Extremism & Conflict
Humanitarian Intervention & Protection
Weapons of Mass Destruction
International Terrorism
Arms & Drug Trade

21st Century Responses

21st Century Warfare
War Theory & Principles of Just War
Asymmetric Warfare & Low-Intensity Conflict
Counter-Insurgency
Counter-Terrorism
Unrestricted Warfare

Special Reports

The Al-Qaeda Dossier
Iraq Exposed
The China Syndrome
Weapons of Mass Perception

NEW REPORTS...

Weapons of Mass Perception

Information & Psychological
Operations in Iraq

Introduction

GLOBAL FOCUS is designed to provoke thought and discussion, and inform the debates surrounding contemporary issues in international and national security, intelligence and military affairs.

Over 200 year ago, Thomas Jefferson explained that, "An informed citizenry is vital to democracy." Today, American politicians warn that America and the world face a critical situation that threatens the foundations of Western civilization. If so, few citizens truly understand the nature of the threats, or the ways to confront them.

Today's media coverage has become increasingly superficial, devoted more to entertaining than informing viewers. Meanwhile, people seem to have less time for independent study of the world around them. As a result, leaders can manipulate facts to their political advantage, while ignoring most difficult issues and challenges.

Our goal at Global Focus is to provide factual information and informed commentary that sheds light on world affairs. Our contribution is to provide introduction to a wide range of issues behind the headlines and connections to sources of additional information.

New World Disorder

With the end of the Cold War many predicted a period of unprecedented global unity, peace, and prosperity. U.S. President George H.W. Bush (Bush-1) heralded the emergence of a “New World Order,” led by America. As the preeminent military and economic superpower, the US would lead the world into an era of freedom, democracy and globalization that would bring peace and prosperity and yield a long-awaited peace dividend. This post-Cold War view of America as the undisputed world leader shaped the thinking of people who would influence the course of world events.

Instead of a peace dividend, war broke out in the Middle East as Iraq invaded Kuwait and America and its coalition partners retaliated. Meanwhile, unhindered by superpower constraints racial, ethnic and religious movements exploited perceived opportunities and conflicts flared in the former Soviet republics in Central Asia, the Balkans and in Africa. NATO forces reluctantly intervened to halt the genocide in Bosnia and Kosovo, but in Rwanda the deliberate slaughter of millions went unopposed by the international community. From East Timor to Northern Ireland, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe political conflict, death and destruction actually increased. Terrorist attacks declined in number, but increased in lethality.

Russia shifted its focus from destroying Afghanistan to devastating Chechnya, while Chechens launched serial attacks on the Russian homeland. Conflicts continued in Kashmir and Sri Lanka; Kurdish separatists maintained an insurgency within Turkey; Colombia drifted closer to anarchy; Sub-Saharan Africa remained the world’s most dangerous killing fields and Israel and Palestine escalated their cycle of tit-for-tat terrorism.

Meanwhile, America cut back on its military and focused on programs encouraging international capitalism. The wealthy, powerful Western-bloc countries created the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to compliment activities of the World Bank. The world’s bankers and financiers then imposed requirements for foreign aid and investment that forced nations to transfer ownership and control of their basic industries and infrastructure to foreign interests and assume massive debt burdens, which, transferred more wealth to the rich but provided doubtful benefit to the world’s poor.

As China has developed into an economic powerhouse, demand for energy has skyrocketed. With America’s oil reserves facing depletion, the quest began to develop untapped oil reserves in Central Asia and the Caspian Sea region. And Iraq’s massive oil reserves could no longer remain idle. Without fundamental change in the Middle East, the economic welfare and security of the developed nations could soon be under the control of Arab and Muslim states.

From the forgotten ashes of Afghanistan, radical Islamic fundamentalists (Islamists) emerged from their caves to threaten the stability and security of Western states and authoritarian regimes of the Middle East, Central and South Asia. The Islamists seek to expose the perceived hypocrisy of American hyperbole whose words proclaim such noble ideals as liberty, equality, justice and democracy, but whose actions they say demonstrate little more than national self-interest.

Since the dawning of Bush-1’s New World Order, America has been paralyzed by political polarization at home and by the absence of vision, policy and diplomacy required to rise to a position of world leadership. When President Truman said, “The buck stops here.” He lied. The buck rarely stops at the Oval Office, but is passed on to future presidents to deal with, to future generations to pay the price and future soldiers to make the ultimate sacrifice.

To many, the future looks grim and the prospects dire. It’s been said that, “you’re not a leader if nobody follows.” When President George W. Bush (II) proclaimed a policy of unilateral, preemptive military action, America turned away from its challenge and opportunity to earn the position of world leadership. Ironically, many of the world’s people believe in the values for which the US stands and would welcome leadership in an era that lacks great leaders and at a time when leadership is desperately needed. The truth is that, as America goes, so goes the world.

With these thoughts in mind, Global Focus presents the following information to shed light on a number of vital issues, challenges and opportunities that face our “New World Disorder.GO TO ARTICLE>>>

21st Century Security Challenges

Optimists have predicted that the 21st century could be on of peace, harmony and prosperity; realists take a different outlook. Although it’s difficult to envision the world 75-100 years from now, the challenges already evident, or on the horizon dictate a more troublesome future.

America's Oil Crisis will drive U.S. foreign policy and could result in a gradual shift in the world power balance. Heir apparent to American supremacy could be China, an over-populated country demanding more energy, more resources and more space. Already, the China syndrome is playing a role in Middle Eastern petrol-politics. Since 9/11, America has been consumed with the threat of International Terrorism and uncomfortable concerns about Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, or in the hands of terrorists.

Underlying Western concerns about terrorism and nuclear proliferation is the influence of Muslim Religious Fundamentalism. Many Muslims have similar concerns, but from their perspective the danger stems from Jewish and Christian Fundamentalism. In western Sudan, the world once again watches intolerance erode into genocide and reluctantly debates the merits of Humanitarian Intervention, stymied by issues that delayed a reaction in Bosnia and Kosovo, and ignored Rwanda.

Each of these issues will have a profound impact on the global village of the early 21st century. How these challenges are handled will determine whether the world progresses to some higher level, or regresses to the strife and suffering that is man’s history. COMING SOON

Religious Extremism

From the perspective of the West, Islamic extremism is seen as a scourge that threatens world stability and security and must be stopped. However, each of the three major monotheistic religions poses existential threats to the others when viewed from their most fundamentalist and intolerant extremes. Muslims may point out that the two blue bars on the Israeli flag represent the Nile and Euphrates Rivers and that Zionists plan to assert their rule across this vast “land of Israel.” They may also remind us that the Bible promises fundamentalist Christians everlasting life after Armageddon and the Rapture, but that the pre-requisite is that the Jews rebuild their Temple on the Mount in Jerusalem, currently the site of the revered Al-Aqsa Mosque. Indeed, Jerusalem is ground zero in the clash of world religions. GO TO ARTICLE>>>

Humanitarian Intervention & Protection

The final years of the 20th century were characterized by the resurgence of genocide, ethnic cleansing, mass murder and rampant starvation. In a world that had declared “never again” after the Nazi genocide, it happened again and again in East Timor, Bosnia, Kosovo, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan and elsewhere. In some cases the international community eventually responded, in others it did nothing. Despite the good intentions of the United Nations, it has proven difficult to impossible to achieve consensus on when, where and how to intervene in the internal affairs of sovereign states to protect human lives at risk at the hand of a regime, or by the states failure, or inability to protect its citizens.

In addition to the ethical dilemma, intervention entails peacemaking and occupation, peacekeeping and nation building – expensive, time-consuming and dangerous operations. Why should stable, developed nations intervene at all? One reason, beyond the moral imperatives, is that failed states are breeding grounds for insurrection, insurgency, civil war that can threaten to escalate into neighboring states, or engulf entire regions in conflict. The world ignores failed states like Afghanistan, Somalia and others at its peril, yet interventions entail perils and complications of their own, which in turn demands new doctrines for civil and military operations. GO TO ARTICLE>>>

Weapons of Mass Destruction

Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) weapons have gained widespread notoriety since the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on September 11, 2001. Terrorists used weapons as simple as box cutters to turn airliners into weapons of mass destruction. The anthrax attacks that followed propelled the U.S. into a state of fear and near hysteria. But how realistic are the threats from WMDs? In fact, terrorists would face huge problems developing and using WMDs, and uncertain results. These briefings attempt to separate fact from fiction, discussing which WMD threats might be feasible and which are not, and identifying where realistic vulnerabilities exist. GO TO ARTICLE>>>

International Terrorism

Terrorism has long been used as a tactic of the weak. Sometimes terrorism is used by those outside of government in attempts to topple a government, but it's also used by repressive regimes to maintain state contriol. Terrorism has traditionally been limited to intra-state conflicts, even though attacks may have been conducted outsode state borders.

The dictionary defines “terror’ as “intense overpowering fear” and “Violence toward private citizens, public property, and political enemies promoted by a political group to achieve or maintain supremacy.” It also defines “terrorism” as “1) The use of terror, violence, and intimidation to achieve an end; and 2) A system of government that uses terror to rule.”

Terrorism is thus an “intangible.” If we can’t see it, or touch it, how can we fight and win a war against it? How would we know if we won? Worse still, we might have used terror to defeat terror, in which case terror would have won. No, terrorism itself is not a legitimate adversary. Indeed, the only logical way to remove the fear and terror from our lives is to remove the motivations that provoke people to political violence. It’s never yet been done in human history.

Recently, terrorist groups have expanded their range of targets to states and/or organizations that they believe are directly or indirectly related to their specific struggle. Islamist terror groups have introduced a new model of international terrorism that forges an alliance of like-minded organizations fighting common enemies. Although al-Qaeda has set a new standard for terrorism, the more troubling concern is that their model can be applied by others, including states and non-state groups such as drug traffickers.

International terrorism has replaced fascism and communism as the perceived, preeminent and existential threat to Western democratic society. Despite the presumed importance of the threat, US leaders appear unaware of, or unwilling to come to grips with that the issues that motivate Islamist extremists. While denying that U.S. foreign policy has any accountability for Islamic extremism, Americans are told that they hate us for our liberty, freedom, prosperity and immorality, while President Bush declares that “Freedom is God’s gift to mankind” and makes a solemn vow to bring liberty and democracy to the Middle East and throughout the world. Thus, both sides issue calls for what amounts to religious war – a clash of civilizations, religions and ideology. GO TO ARTICLE>>>

International Arms & Drug Trade

DRUG TRADE

Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and where there are drugs there’s conflict. In Afghanistan, the world’s number one opium producer, the illegal drug trade was a significant source of financing for the Taliban and al-Qaeda terrorists, and it continues today. In Myanmar/Burma, the world’s number two opium producing country, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) regime finances its repression with drug money. Colombia’s drug lords have driven the country into virtual anarchy. The US invaded Panama to capture Gen. Manuel Noriega after his drug trafficking rendered him a pariah, while the CIA has, itself, been implicated in drug dealing to finance covert operations. America’s War on Drugs has all but faded from the national consciousness.

Drugs do more than just finance terrorism; narcotics traffickers have established smuggling networks across the world, networks that can be used to move terrorists and their weapons. Some analysts even envision the rise of narco-terrorism as a political tool to take the heat off international drug dealers, or to secure political influence to shelter their illegal activities. As long as Afghanistan’s warlords and drug lords maintain freedom of operation and control of the countryside, the prospects for peace and democracy in Afghanistan remain grim. COMING IN 2006

ARMS TRADE

Wars rage across the globe, including many of the world’s poorest countries, and though many can’t afford food, shelter, clothing, or medicine, they always seem to find a way to get weapons and ammunition. Youngsters in Sierra Leone, Somalia and Liberia, who don’t have bicycles, are seen packing AK-47s. Countries that can’t grow crops produce fields of landmines. Andnations that sit atop massive oil reserves claim the need to develop nuclear reactors. Meanwhile, the developed nations that preach the need for peace and ploughshares are the main producers of weapons, ammunition and the devastation that follows in their wake.

Although there is general condemnation of arms traders, the merchants of death, in fact, arms trade and military assistance are most commonly provided by major world powers and smaller states that have become dependent on their own military-industrial resources. COMING IN 2006

21st Century Warfare

Since the beginning of time, emperors, monarchs and nation-states have fought wars to gain territory or control over people and resources that would add to their own wealth and power. The drive for control over people often had ideological and religious motivations. Today, little has changed. What has changed are the ways that wars are fought, as if following the physical law that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

While World War II was the last territorial war between conventional armies, the Cold War was an essentially a struggle between ideologies: communism versus capitalism, and democracy versus authoritarian rule. The Cold War was fought with strategic nuclear weapons, psychological warfare, and through proxy wars, involving insurgency and guerrilla warfare. 

Today, states have realized that controlling extensive territory is prohibitively difficult and expensive, but underlying motives have changed little. The focus of current geopolitical strategy is globalization, which shifts the emphasis from large-scale war between massed armed forces to control of resources through trade and finance. This struggle is takes place amid an undercurrent of relative economic inequality, inherent injustice, long-standing ethnic aspirations and renewed religious conflict. Much of the resulting discord has taken the form of insurgency and terrorism.

The issues discussed in Global Focus are inextricably linked to one another. War theory impacts decisions of humanitarian intervention, which itself influences decisions about economic and military assistance programs. Revolution and insurgency lead to terrorism and require (or should inspire) decisions regarding which side deserves support, or aid (if any), sanctions or regime change. When states intervene in conflict they must develop strategies to counter guerrilla tactics, asymmetric warfare, or terrorism. Such strategies have to be implemented in a variety of environments – jungles, mountains, deserts, or in urban terrain, with sensitivity to innocent civilians and to prospects to negotiated settlements short of total defeat or annihilation.

21st century warfare is different in very fundamental ways, whether the emphasis is on low-intensity conflict, asymmetric warfare, counter-terrorism, or the “unrestricted warfare” described by Chinese military thinkers. The strategic advantage will go to those who better visualize and prepare for the future with all its uncertainty and complexity. COMING SOON

War Theory and Principles of Just War

Any discussion of war and war-related issues invariably encounters many basic premises, contradictions and devilish philosophical and practical issues. The Iraq War and so-called Global War On Terror (GWOT) have focused attention on several of these issues – unilateral and pre-emptive attacks, war crimes, torture, detentions, courts of jurisdiction and the Geneva Conventions. It's difficult to discuss or debate these issues without a foundational knowledge of war theorists like Sun Tzu, Karl von Clauswitz and Machiavelli. Equally necessary is an understanding of Just War Theory and the international agreements and conventions that attempt to govern the conduct of war. These ethical and moral issues impact on justifications and the conduct of war, the prospects for humanitarian protection to stop genocide, or prevent starvation, the role of alliances like NATO, and ultimately on the viability of the United Nations. GO TO ARTICLE>>>

Asymmetric Warfare & Low-Intensity Conflict

Since John F. Kennedy established the Special Forces, the US military has gradually evolved and, with considerable resistance and difficulty, has transitioned to a rapidly deployable, flexible force with wide ranging capabilities. Other nations have emulated the concept of specialized forces for special operations. Today's elite combat units face ever-increasing responsibilities including: combat support, warfighting, urban warfare, anti-insurgency operations, counter-terrorism, humanitarian intervention, and military training. To overcome ingrained military resistance to "special" forces, the specialized units have attempted to be all things in all situations and risk becoming a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. These Global Focus briefings discuss many facets of special operations, identify and discuss a variety of related issues, and provide resources for additional information. COMING SOON

Insurgency & Guerrilla Warfare

Given the inequities and injustice, poverty and desperation that afflict much of the world, it’s amazing there aren’t more wars, rebellions, insurgencies and rebellions. The United States, France, Russia, China and many other states had their genesis in revolution. Europe’s colonial empires spawned an era of rebellion and guerrilla warfare that hasn’t ended. As long as people aspire to freedom, assert their national identity, preserve their religions, or strive to maintain their cultures and traditions, conflict will continue. Since the times of Mao, Fidel and Che military advances have changed the nature of insurgency and guerrilla warfare. As states have secured greater power, they have forced dissidents to change their methods and battlefields. The 21st Century will witness a growing trend toward low-intensity conflict, urban combat, and terrorism, especially as militants seek to undermine the economic and societal foundations of their opponents.

New trends in insurgency and guerrilla warfare will dictate new responses from states. Experience in Iraq and the Global War on Terror have, again, demonstrated the flexibility and adaptability of determined adversaries, especially when engaged on their home territory. One result has been an ever-growing body of information addressing methods to combat insurgents, however this information has yet to crystallize into a successful and replicable counter-insurgency doctrine. COMING SOON

Terrorism & Counter-Terrorism

To win the struggle against terrorists requires understanding the nature of the adversary. From all appearances Islamist terrorists understand the West, better than we understand them. This section endeavors to present accurate and balanced perspectives on the nature of international Islamist terrorism seen from both sides of the chasm. In the future, however, it's likely that we will witness the emergence of other terrorist threats and causes that will require replicable solutions or new adaptions. To date, few governments have discovered viable strategies and tactics to combat terrorism. And while there are many examples of failed approaches, strategists have yet to complie and review the lessons learned as a step toward finding workable solutions.
GO TO ARTICLE>>>

Unrestricted Warfare

It’s often said that the military is always prepared to fight the last war, but not the current war, or the next war. However, strategists do try to anticipate the future. We have seen the evolution from an era of massed armies to one of joint sea, air and land forces. We’ve survived the era of strategic nuclear weapons that could destroy entire armies and their societies in a day. More recently, we’ve seen the advances of insurgency and asymmetric warfare that has brought disproportionate power to the weak. Weaponry has evolved from bows and arrows to weapons capable of massive destruction and precision strikes. Meanwhile, adversaries have fought back with improvised explosive devices (IEDs), suicide bombers, car bombs and propaganda. What comes next?

While some believe the next battlefield will be in space, others argue that it will be within society’s technological infrastructure. The intricacy of today’s interlinked technological world creates a full spectrum of vulnerabilities to “Cyber-warfare.” a strategy to attack a nation’s computer-controlled infrastructure. But why stop there?

The 21st Century promises to be an era of diminishing energy and natural resources, compounded by increasing population and growing deprivation and inequality. Societies may face threats to their very survival and conclude that, “all options are on the table.” In an era of extreme scarcity, population reduction could become an essential element of a strategic, or “final” solution. Indeed, we’ve already heard many of the phrases that could be used as justifications for “Unrestricted Warfare.” In fact, the book has already been written…COMING SOON

Weapons of Mass Perception

Although war has always been a political struggle, wars have, until recently, ended when one of the adversaries has been vanquished, its ability to resist destroyed. Today, total war has become increasingly unaccpetble, which has focused attention on the need to win over the hearts and minds of the adversary populations, as well as internal audiences and world opinion.

The final, determining stages of current conflicts are fought on the battlefield of public opinion, where dominate weaponry is less powerful than words and ideas, laws and settlement agreements, and the willingness of combatants to lay down their arms to accept a political solution. In this arena, asymmetric power levels the battlefield in the struggle for media attention.

Dissidents, insurgents and terrorists have discovered the enormous power of publicty in an interconnected world where news and ideas travel globally at the click of a mouse. Meanwhile, powerful states are continually frustrated by their ability to win wars and inability to win the peace. The 21 century demands that modern states augment their military power with the tools to influence public perceptions by both their allies and enemies. The Information Age requires new expertise in information operations, where words, ideas and images are more powerful and more durable than the sword. However, the ability to manage public perceptions is fraught with controversy because these same weapons of mass perception can be used to manipulate friends and citizens as well as enemies. GO TO ARTICLE>>>