“…there is one area where we as westerners will always have the advantage—so long as we value life.”
One of the cornerstones to the rise, growth, and dominance of retail store Wal-Mart is its owner’s obsession with constantly identifying what the competition is doing right and what they are doing better. For years, Sam Walton would gather his top managers on a weekly basis and start off with a deep dive into what competitors were doing right. In doing so, Walton’s team was able to stay at least one step ahead of their nearest competitors and establish a reign of dominance spanning nearly six decades.
Though the stakes are much higher than a race to offer the best pricing on toilet paper and cereal, the United States would be well-served in its fight against ISIS to take time to identify what their most dangerous adversary is doing right. It is certainly no easy task to do so, as this means a level of respect is granted. Not the kind of respect of the laudable sort, mind you, but the kind that means we take our enemy seriously and recognize that failure to do so has catastrophic consequences. Our ability to bring the eventual defeat of this group and its ideology hinges on such a recognition.
So if we are able to look at our enemy objectively, what will we learn? Where can we do better? For starters, a list of effective tactics employed by ISIS is presented for consideration:
Winning Hearts and Minds
This may be curious to some, but where ISIS and its allies who subscribe to the jihadist ideology have shown great prowess is the ability to make themselves the victim—so much so that some members of the western media and political establishments actually blame the victims of terror attacks. This is a credit to the group’s propaganda machine and its recognition of the overly politically correct world in which we live.
Utilizing Social Media
In the aftermath of a high-profile attack, how often do we learn that social media served as the nexus for the attack’s planning and the perpetrators’ preparation? Considering the combined resources of our intelligence communities and the privately held purveyors of these sites to identify and block malicious activity, it is a boon for ISIS that social media continues to be tried and true.
Taking Credit
We might take it for granted at this stage in the group’s evolution that regardless of what takes place or what is learned in the days following an attack, it is ISIS that is given the victory. This is regardless of their role in the planning and execution of the attack and due in large part to their first mover advantage of claiming responsibility. It gives them another notch on their belt, useful for recruiting and validation. After years of attacks, regardless of whether an ISIS leader had a direct role in the event, we have to ask ourselves, “Does it matter?” ISIS is the current standard-bearer for extremism as a result.
Adapting TTP’s
The shelf-life for a group like ISIS is dependent on its diversity. Not with respect to its members, as we know the ideology dictates a strict uniform adherence, but with respect to its tactics, techniques, and procedures. As a society, we will always be playing from behind from this standpoint, as we cannot grasp the level of barbarism this group will go to in order to fulfill its mission. This is a point we should be both proud of and have a healthy respect for, as it means we will always be guessing. Even something as commonplace as a pickup truck can be weaponized.
Patience
This holds true for the ideology writ large regardless of the group, and it is an area where they have a leg up. While western societies have evolved to favor instant gratification, wanting results right away for everything from shopping to wars, jihadists have sustained a big-picture approach that capitalizes on our society’s tendency for impatience and attention deficit.
While this list may seem lengthy, there is one area where we as westerners will always have the advantage—so long as we value life.
