** ** Jihadi Red Tape****
http://inthetank.newamerica.net/blog/2013/10/jihadi-red-tape-0**** ** ** ** ** In 2006, an Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) leader wrote a letter to Abu-Usamah, an** ** AQI cell leader in Ramadi, instructing him to "Stop the killing of people*** * unless they are spying, military, or police officers. if we continue using** ** the same method, people will start fighting us in the streets.," to which*** * Abu-Usamah responded, "We have restrictions on beheading the heads of**** Islamic Party members, the Sheik of the tribes, and renegades. We want this* *** in writing by the state council, so all of our members would observe it. if* *** it's not written, it will go away after you're gone, if you die or get**** killed."**** ** ** Abu-Usamah was requesting standard operating procedures, a typical request** ** in any bureaucratic hierarchy and one that would be ordinary if it were not* *** coming from a covert army that depends on secrecy for its survival.**** Terrorist organizations need management and control as they grow and become* *** stronger, but each report and communication makes detection by intelligence* *** agencies more likely. Dr. Jake Shapiro, an Assistant Professor of Politics** ** and International Affairs at Princeton University, discussed this "dilemma"* *** in his recent book, The Terrorist's Dilemma: Managing Violent Covert**** Organizations. He sat down with National Security fellow Brian Fishman at*** * New America, where they were joined by Dr. Bruce Hoffman, the director of*** * the Center for Security Studies at Georgetown University, and Will McCants,* *** a fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings.**** ** ** Shapiro used documents that had been recovered from various raids and caches **** in Iraq, including the above letters, as examples of AQI's reporting and**** management mechanisms. Fighters arriving at training camps had to fill out** ** forms listing their name, age, occupation, family, and other basic**** information. Some had to sign oath statements or official letters releasing* *** AQI of any obligations if they were leaving Iraq. Maintaining hundreds of*** * documents with fighters' cell phone numbers, pictures, and fingerprints is a **** good human resources practice, but it seriously jeopardizes the secrecy of** ** the group. Why do these groups maintain large files of written records at*** * the cost of increased secrecy? And, Dr. Hoffman added, how large can a**** terrorist organization get before it becomes inefficient?**** ** ** The discussants offered several possible explanations. Shapiro noted that*** * because terrorist agents operate underground, they must know what to do in** ** the event of a superior's absence. Providing written guidance may be the**** only way to pass down orders. Requiring agents to submit reports also**** signals the priorities for the group, because the risk associated with**** reporting lends importance and significance to the subject matter.**** Similarly, bureaucracy is necessary when all recruits do not share the same* *** opinion on ideology and tactics, because leaders must communicate with local **** cells to ensure that they are staying in line. The letter quoted above**** exemplifies this-the leader admonished the local group for using too much*** * violence, thus eroding public support. Hoffman added that bureaucracy is a** ** form of domination and control and is a way for the leadership to assert**** that they are in charge. McCants pointed out that it sheds interesting light **** on terrorist recruitment-groups often advocate lone-wolf attacks, but that** ** strategy is in conflict with the desire for control that these bureaucratic* *** documents show. Shapiro concluded by noting an important policy implication* *** of his research: Terrorism is inherently self-limiting, because terrorist*** * groups cannot grow without amplifying the risk of detection by authorities.* *** ** ** ** ** ** ** ==========================================**** (F)AIR USE NOTICE: All original content and/or articles and graphics in this **** message are copyrighted, unless specifically noted otherwise. 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