Counterterrorism Strategy Initiative

Confronting the threat from Islamist extremism is one of the most important national security challenges facing America in the 21st century. While terrorist groups like al Qaeda and some of its affiliates overseas are intent on carrying out acts of massive violence against the United States and Western interests both domestically and overseas, their capabilities are limited and the internal strategic weaknesses of these groups ensure their eventual collapse.

What is lacking, however, is a comprehensive, sustainable, and effective strategy for dealing with the present danger from extremist groups. The Counterterrorism Strategy Initiative at the New America Foundation seeks to fill that gap by first expanding the stream of open-source threat and policy analysis and second, based on that analysis, developing a new strategic concept to replace the counter-productive "Global War on Terror" framework. Through innovative data-rich analysis, the Initiative will develop effective policy alternatives and contribute to understanding the nature of the current threat from Islamist terrorism and how best to defeat it.

The Initiative will test four core concepts that are emerging as macro-level best practices in confronting the threat from Islamist extremism.

• Do No Harm. Ensure that actions of the United States do not contribute to strengthening the al Qaeda movement; for example, the Iraq War generated the lowest ever approval ratings for the United States around the world.
• Disaggregate the Enemy. Recognize that there is not a monolithic Islamist extremist threat, but many unique terrorist organizations with different motivations and tactics, and tailor counterterrorism and counterinsurgency strategies to suit these local situations.
• Lower the Temperature. Put forth good faith efforts to solve conflicts like Kashmir and Palestine, which serve as flashpoint grievances for potential militants. Seek solutions to visible sources of global aggravations as the prison camp at Guantanamo and the extraordinary rendition program.
• Use all the Tools. Use counterinsurgency tactics, which emphasize political and economic approaches over military force, as well as counterterrorism approaches, reviving failed states and rebuilding after conflict.

• Scholars
• Publications
• Events
• Press

Scholars

• Peter Bergen - Initiative Co-Director and Schwartz Senior Fellow
• Steve Coll - Initiative Co-Director and President, New America Foundation
• Patrick Doherty - Initiative Co-Director and Deputy Director, American Strategy Program
• Anatol Lieven - Senior Research Fellow
• Tim Golden - Senior Fellow
• Nicholas Schmidle - Fellow
• Katherine Tiedemann - Policy Analyst

Publications

Pakistan Drone War Takes a Toll on Militants -- and Civilians

The Obama administration has dramatically ratcheted up the American drone warfare program in Pakistan. Since President Obama took office, U.S. drone strikes have killed about a half-dozen militant leaders along with hundreds of other people, a quarter of whom were civilians.

As a result of the unprecedented 42 strikes by drone aircraft into Pakistan authorized by the Obama administration, aimed at Taliban and al Qaeda networks based there, about a half-dozen leaders of militant organizations have been killed.

Peter Bergen, Katherine Tiedemann | CNN.com | October 29, 2009

U.S. Is Losing Afghan War on Two Fronts

We are losing in Afghanistan, on two fronts. The most important center of gravity of the conflict -- as the Taliban well recognizes -- is the American public. And now, most Americans are opposed to the war.

For years, Afghanistan was "the forgotten war," and when Americans started paying attention again -- roughly around the time of President Obama's inauguration -- what they saw was not a pretty sight: a corrupt Afghan government, a world-class drug trade, a resurgent Taliban and steadily rising U.S. casualties.

Peter Bergen | CNN.com | October 26, 2009

War and Politics

Over the summer, the Afghan Taliban's military committee distributed "A Book of Rules," in Pashto, to its fighters. The book's eleven chapters seem to draw from the population-centric principles of F.M. 3-24, the U.S. Army's much publicized counter-insurgency field manual, released in 2006. Henceforth, the Taliban guide declares, suicide bombers must take "the utmost steps . . . to avoid civilian human loss." Commanders should generally insure the "safety and security of the civilian's life and property." Also, lest

Steve Coll | The New Yorker | October 19, 2009

The Many Meanings of a Cross

I'm all for the separation of church and state. I believe that government endorsement of any particular religious sect or tradition has a corrosive effect on both the state and the faith in question. But I also think the attempt to separate religion from government is veering toward a foolish, parochial and ultimately impossible quest to separate religion from culture.

Gregory Rodriguez | Los Angeles Times | October 19, 2009

The Front

On July 25, Najibullah Zazi, a lanky man in his mid-twenties, walked into the Beauty Supply Warehouse in Aurora, Colorado, a suburb of Denver. The visit was captured on a store video camera. Wearing a baseball cap and pushing a shopping cart, Zazi appeared to be just another suburban guy.

Peter Bergen | The New Republic | October 19, 2009

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Events

Outside the Law

Join the New America Foundation for a special screening of a powerful new documentary film directed by filmmaker Polly Nash and journalist Andy Worthington called "Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo," which follows the stories of three current or former detainees from Guantanamo Bay and tells the story of Guantanamo, including segments on extraordinary renditions and secret prisons. With just over two months until President Obama's deadline for the closure of Guantánamo, and with the administration set to

Start: 11/09/2009 - 4:00pm

End: 11/09/2009 - 6:00pm

Al- Qaeda and Its Allies: The Endgame

This conference examined the civilian dimensions of counterterrorism, and took place on October 21, 2009, at the Mayflower Hotel. A full program agenda is below, as are video recordings from the webcasts of each discussion.

Higher resolution video and an MP3 audio recording will be added here as they become available.

Start: 10/21/2009 - 8:15am

End: 10/21/2009 - 4:45pm

In Afghanistan

David Loyn, developing world correspondent for the BBC and author of In Afghanistan: Two Hundred Years of British, Russian, and American Occupation, expounded upon 200 years of Afghan history as being useful in understanding the problems the U.S. and NATO currently face there. After declaring that clear thinking is needed on Afghanistan, and apparently not currently forthcoming from the Obama Administration, Loyn described his own ten points the U.S. must consider when planning its next move in the country. The two primary

Start: 10/02/2009 - 3:30pm

End: 10/02/2009 - 5:00pm

Covering Afghanistan

At today's launch event for the AfPak Channel, a joint project between the New America Foundation and Foreign Policy magazine, a panel of journalists who have often traveled to the region that U.S. President Barack Obama has made the focal point of his foreign policy shared their experiences reporting from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Start: 09/17/2009 - 12:15pm

End: 09/17/2009 - 1:45pm

In the Graveyard of Empires

On July 23 Seth Jones, a political scientist at the RAND Corporation, joined the New America Foundation and Peter Bergen, senior fellow and co-director of the New America Foundation's Counterterrorism Strategy Initiative, to discuss Afghanistan and Jones' recently published book, In The Graveyard of Empires.  

Start: 07/23/2009 - 12:15pm

End: 07/23/2009 - 1:45pm

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Press

Headline	Date
The Price of Failure in Afghanistan | Reuters	November 18, 2009
An Anxious Wait in Afghanistan | Asia Times Online	November 16, 2009
This Isn't What We Hoped For | Indianapolis Star	November 16, 2009
War Unchecked | Washington Post	November 14, 2009
Death Knell Drones for al Qa'eda | National (UAE)	November 13, 2009
My Father, the Terrorist | Washington Post	November 13, 2009
Afghan Lessons | United Press International	November 13, 2009
Of Fruit Flies and Drones | New York Times	November 12, 2009
Pakistan: Now or Never? | Reuters	November 3, 2009
One Year of The One | The Economist	November 2, 2009

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