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

2. 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

3. Religious Sects
Cao Dai
Hoa Hao
Binh Xuyen

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. Types Of Millenarians
Inhomogeneous
Religious
Secular
Eclectic

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

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

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

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

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

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

17. Hallmarks
No Legal Definitions
No Guarantees
No Specific Rules

18. Internal Dysfunction
Lack Of Unity
Internecine Battles
Fault Lines

19. Hearts And Minds
Charismatic Leaders
Ideology
Material Grievances

20. Failing States Poverty Recent Decolonization
Ineffective Government Institutions
Difficult Terrain

21. Failing States
Hezbollah
Hamas
Islamic Jihad
Mahdi Army
Abu Sayyaf

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

29. Transnational Criminal Activity
Sway Communities
Undermine Trust In Government
Acquire Legitimacy

30. Conclusions New Adversaries Complicated Linkages
Social And Cultural Aspects Of War

31. Questions
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