OVERLOOKED LESSONS FOR 21ST CENTURY CONFLICT SECTS AND VIOLENCE OVERLOOKED LESSONS FOR 21ST CENTURY CONFLICT Carmen K. Steigman American Military University

Violent Non-State Actors Usurp Usual Role Of State As Legitimate User Of Violence Random Aggression And Collective Violence Goals Frequently At Odds With States’ Goals

Religious Sects Cao Dai Hoa Hao Binh Xuyen

Cao Dai Universal Religion, Syncretic 2 Million Members 15,000-20,000 Armed Men North And West Of Saigon

Hoa Hao Buddhist-Based 1.5 Million Members 10,000-15,000 Armed Men Mekong Delta

Binh Xuyen “Mafia Of Vietnam” River Pirates And Bandits 6,000 Members Police Chief And Vice Operations In Saigon

Millenarianism “End Times” Peace And Abundance On Earth Book Of Revelation Peace And Abundance On Earth “New World” Any Religious Or Sectarian Ideology

Sect View Of Governments All-Encompassing Set Of Ideas Special Knowledge Highly Specific In Identifying Evil Precise Identification Of Enemies

Government View Of Sects Savagery, Superstition, And Ignorance Cults; Brainwashing Domination By Unscrupulous Leaders Lack Of Capacity For Rational Choice

Types Of Millenarians Inhomogeneous Religious Secular Eclectic

Vietnamese Millenarianism Buddhist Based Village Centered Small Group Nature Of Social Life

The War On Terror Radical Islam Resentment Of Foreign Governments Millenarian Terrorists “Millenial Entrepreneurs”

Holy Terror Religiously Motivated Terrorism Social Upheaval, Economics, Politics Threats From Secular Foreign Sources Political Considerations

Fourth Generation Warfare… First Generation Low-Technology, Attrition Second Generation Technology, Maneuver Warfare Third Generation Intelligence, Psy-Ops, Soft Power

…And Beyond Fourth Generation Fifth Generation Sixth Generation Asymmetry, Weak Vs Strong Fifth Generation Information And High Technology Sixth Generation Biological And Informational

Hallmarks No Formal Declarations No Easily Identified Foe No Specific Territory No Credible Government

Hallmarks No Legal Definitions No Guarantees No Specific Rules

Internal Dysfunction Lack Of Unity Internecine Battles Fault Lines

Hearts And Minds Charismatic Leaders Ideology Material Grievances

Failing States Poverty Recent Decolonization Ineffective Government Institutions Difficult Terrain

Failing States Hezbollah Hamas Islamic Jihad Mahdi Army Abu Sayyaf

Street Gangs - Netwar Networked Adversaries Blurring Of Crime And War Transnational Criminal Organizations Millenarian Cults Triads

Street Gangs – Netwar Flat, Non-Hierarchical Networks Attract Power Easily Flexible, Nimble, Innovative

Street Gangs First Generation Second Generation Third Generation Traditional, Turf, Loyalty Second Generation Entrepreneurial, Drug-Centered Third Generation Political Aims, Global, Mercenary

Netwar Binh Xuyen Political And Economic Agendas Control And Violence Criminal Activity

Netwar Mutated Form Of Urban Insurgency Overthrow Of Governments States Within States Warlords

Transnational Criminal Activity Organized And Transnational Corporate Structure Money Via Illegal Activities Fear And Corruption

Transnational Criminal Activity Huge Financial Resources Destabilize Weak Nation-states Cooperation With Other Crime Groups Meet Unmet Needs

Transnational Criminal Activity Sway Communities Undermine Trust In Government Acquire Legitimacy

Conclusions New Adversaries Complicated Linkages Social And Cultural Aspects Of War

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