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Week 4: Distinctiveness of 911 Attack Lecture 9: “ Asymmetrical Warfare ”

Week 4: Distinctiveness of 911 Attack Lecture 9: “ Asymmetrical Warfare ”. 24 th February 2003 (Monday). Structure of Lecture 9: . Introduction to the Distinctiveness of the 911 Attack Asymmetry Type A: Military Vs Civility Asymmetry Type B: Low-tech Vs High-tech

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Week 4: Distinctiveness of 911 Attack Lecture 9: “ Asymmetrical Warfare ”

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  1. Week 4: Distinctiveness of 911 AttackLecture 9: “Asymmetrical Warfare” 24th February 2003 (Monday)

  2. Structure of Lecture 9: • Introduction to the Distinctiveness of the 911 Attack • Asymmetry Type A: • Military Vs Civility • Asymmetry Type B: • Low-tech Vs High-tech • Osama Bin Laden’s Perspective on Asymmetry • Conclusion: Was it so “asymmetrical”?

  3. PART IIntroduction to the Distinctiveness of the 911 Attack

  4. “Language 101” and 911’s Uniqueness • George W Bush: “A Threat with No Precedent”… • Actor • Event • Venue • Tool • Timing • Different Perspectives on its Uniqueness owing to Different Personal Backgrounds…

  5. Actor – the Planner • Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden: • The “Shadow Leader” • “Desperately seeking for enemies” • A Non-governmental Organization instead of a Country • From 2-dimensional World to 3-dimensional world • … more on week 10

  6. Actor – the Target • USA as the World Hegemon • American Exceptionalism • Casualty: 3,044 lives • Financial Loss: 33-36 billion US dollars • Dramatic Analogy in everyday life • Romanticism of Osama Bin Laden

  7. Venue (I) • Attack on American “Homeland” • 1776-1783: War of Independence • 1812-1815: Anglo-American War • 1814: Fall of Washington, D.C. • Burning of White House and the Capitol

  8. Venue (II) • 1916: Mexican guerrilla war • Pancho Villa • Raid on Columbus (New Mexico) • 1941-1945: Second World War • 1941: Pearl Harbor Incident • 1942: Japanese Incendiary Bombs in Pacific Northwest • A “Safe Haven” during Cold War

  9. Tools (I) • Donald Rumsfeld: • “Asymmetrical Warfare” • Asymmetry: • “lack of mathematical balance and symmetry” • Political Concept of Give and Take

  10. Tools (II) • Asymmetry Type A: • Military Warfare Vs Common People • Asymmetry Type B: • Low-tech Primitive Weapons Vs High-tech Modernized Weapons

  11. Timing • Accidentalism Vs Incrementalism • Dramatic Setting (“September 11”) • Media Coverage’s Impacts on Modern Warfare • End of the World, WWIII, Ghost Stories… • … more on Wednesday

  12. PART IIAsymmetry Type A:Military Vs Civilian

  13. Identities of 911 Attackers and Victims • Hijackers: Murderers/ Military Soldiers • Planners: Military Commanders • Pentagon Victims: Military officers • World Trade Center Victims: • Common people (non-militant) • Internationalized (multi-national corporations) • The Editing Strategy of Politically Incorrectness • Emphasis on WTC (Asymmetrical) • Tune down on Pentagon (Symmetrical) • The Article #23 Analogy

  14. War Codes and Charters • Ancient War Codes: “Just Wars”/ Chevaliers • Ancient China: Confucius Vs Legalists • Ancient West: Christianity Vs Machiavellian • United Nations Charters • Geneva Convention • International Court of Justice (the Hague) • Protection of Common People at Wars • Against Exploitation of Women and Children • Against Exploitation of War Prisoners

  15. PART III Asymmetry Type B:Low-tech Vs High-tech

  16. Low-tech Primitive Strategies • Hi! Jack… • Everyday life weapon: pocket knifes, folks, box-cutters… • Commercial Plane Vs F19 • The “Shoe Bomber” • Psychological Attack • Martyrdom

  17. High-tech Modernized Strategies • Star War (Strategic Defense Initiative, SDI) • President Ronald Reagan (1983) • Aim: to destroy Soviet nuclear weapons IN SPACE • Hollywood movies: “Star War I, II, III”… • Purpose: to keep American cities save • Effect: collapse of USSR?

  18. “Star War II” • Ronald Reagan and the Bush Family • National Missile Defense System (NMDs) • George W Bush (2000) • Target: Russia, China, North Korea • Launching the New Cold War before 911? • Sino-American Spy Plane Crushing Incident (May 2001) • The 911 Irony • The Two-front war of Bush after 911: • NMD continued against High-tech enemies • Office of Homeland Security against Low-tech enemies

  19. The 911 Balance Sheet • Lives: 3,044 • World Trade Center: 2,650 • Pentagon: 125 • Planes: 269 • Hijackers: 19 • Turnover: 160 times • Financial Cost: • USA: US$33,000,000,000 • Al-Qaeda: US$1,000,000 • Turnover: 33,000 times

  20. Assigned Readings • Main Text: Lawrence Freedman: “A New Type of War” (B&D P.37-47) • Supplementary Text: Christopher Harmon. Terrorism Today. Chapter 2: Strategies (P.44-75).

  21. PART IV Asymmetry in the Views of Osama Bin Laden

  22. Common People are Innocent? • The Concept of Democracy • Eligible voters choose the ones in power to represent their interests • Full Democracy: Universal Suffrage + Open Election • The Concept of Civic Responsibility • Responsible for government’s actions?

  23. Laden’s Perspective on Democracy ^o^ • Americans are “guilty” because: • They voted for the bad government who is evil towards Muslim brothers; • They supported the bad government’s every action; • They did not overthrow the bad government • Common people are part of the US bureaucrats; Attack not asymmetrical

  24. Gross Imbalance of World Power • Unipolarity: Unprecedented since the Roman Empire (27BC-476AD) • US Dominance • Political/ International • Economic • Science and Technology/Military • Culture/ Ideology • Osama Bin Laden: What can I do in terms of the “American Asymmetry”?

  25. Guantanamo Bay Scandal • War against Taliban (2001) • Mistreatment of “detainees” in Guantanamo Bay (US base in Cuba) • Lack of Legal Justice • Refusal to Apply Geneva Convention • Torture and other Abuses • Criticism of Human Rights Activists

  26. Past Asymmetry of American Attack • Vietnam War (1965-1975) • Greatest Disaster of the American Foreign Policy since WWII • Anti-war Movement • Chemical Weapons Vs Biological Opponents • Gulf War (1989-1990) + Post-Gulf War • Sanction Vs The Poor Iraqi • Estimated number of dead: millions

  27. PART V Conclusion –Rethinking about Symmetry

  28. Asymmetry = Political Correctness • Political Correctness • Unbiased, value-free, factually-descriptive • e.g. “value-adding,”“voluntary departure”… • Asymmetrical Warfare = a Politically Correct term in the United State? • Subjective definition of Asymmetry • Bush’s definition Vs Ladin’s definition

  29. Rationale of Asymmetrical Warfare • Asymmetry as a Tactic to Redress the Existing Asymmetry • Taoist Philosophy again • North Korea’s “Mad Diplomacy” • President Kim Jong Il • Re-activation of Nuclear Testing • Withdrawal from Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty • Open Conflict with USA • What else can they do?

  30. A Classroom Analogy • Classroom analogy: how to get good grades by students with no backgrounds? • Method A: Work Hard • Method B: Give Up • Method C: Asymmetrical measures…

  31. ~~The End~~ Thank you for attending

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