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Week 4: Distinctiveness of 911 Attack Lecture 9: “Asymmetrical Warfare”
24th February 2003 (Monday)
Structure of Lecture 9: Introduction to the Distinctiveness of the 911 Atta
ck Asymmetry Type A:
Military Vs Civility Asymmetry Type B:
Low-tech Vs High-tech Osama Bin Laden’s Perspective on Asymmetry Conclusion: Was it so “asymmetrical”?
PART IIntroduction to the Distinctiveness
of the 911 Attack
“Language 101” and 911’s Uniqueness
George W Bush: “A Threat with No Precedent”…
Actor Event Venue Tool
Timing
Different Perspectives on its Uniqueness owing to Different Personal Backgrounds…
Actor – the Planner
Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden: The “Shadow Leader”
“Desperately seeking for enemies” A Non-governmental Organization inst
ead of a Country From 2-dimensional World to 3-dimension
al world
… more on week 10
Actor – the Target
USA as the World Hegemon American Exceptionalism
Casualty: 3,044 lives Financial Loss: 33-36 billion US dollars Dramatic Analogy in everyday life Romanticism of Osama Bin Laden
Venue (I)
Attack on American “Homeland”
1776-1783: War of Independence
1812-1815: Anglo-American War 1814: Fall of
Washington, D.C. Burning of White House
and the Capitol
Venue (II)
1916: Mexican guerrilla war Pancho Villa Raid on Columbus (New Mexico)
1941-1945: Second World War 1941: Pearl Harbor Incident 1942: Japanese Incendiary Bombs in Pacific
Northwest A “Safe Haven” during Cold War
Tools (I)
Donald Rumsfeld: “Asymmetrical Warfare”
Asymmetry: “lack of mathematical balance and symme
try” Political Concept
of Give and Take
Tools (II)
Asymmetry Type A: Military Warfare Vs Common
People
Asymmetry Type B: Low-tech Primitive Weapons Vs
High-tech Modernized Weapons
Timing
Accidentalism Vs Incrementalism Dramatic Setting (“September 11”) Media Coverage’s Impacts on Moder
n Warfare End of the World, WWIII, Ghost Stori
es…
… more on Wednesday
PART IIAsymmetry Type A:Military Vs Civilian
Identities of 911 Attackers and Victims
Hijackers: Murderers/ Military Soldiers Planners: Military Commanders Pentagon Victims: Military officers World Trade Center Victims:
Common people (non-militant) Internationalized (multi-national corporations)
The Editing Strategy of Politically Incorrectness Emphasis on WTC (Asymmetrical) Tune down on Pentagon (Symmetrical) The Article #23 Analogy
War Codes and Charters Ancient War Codes: “Just Wars”/ Chevaliers
Ancient China: Confucius Vs Legalists Ancient West: Christianity Vs Machiavellian
United Nations Charters Geneva Convention International Court of Justice (the Hague)
Protection of Common People at Wars Against Exploitation of Women and Children Against Exploitation of War Prisoners
PART III Asymmetry Type B:
Low-tech Vs High-tech
Low-tech Primitive Strategies
Hi! Jack… Everyday life weapon: pocket
knifes, folks, box-cutters… Commercial Plane Vs F19 The “Shoe Bomber” Psychological Attack
Martyrdom
High-tech Modernized Strategies
Star War (Strategic Defense Initiative, SDI) President Ronald Reagan (1983) Aim: to destroy Soviet nuclear weapons IN
SPACE Hollywood movies: “Star War I, II, III”… Purpose: to keep American cities save Effect: collapse of USSR?
“Star War II”
Ronald Reagan and the Bush Family National Missile Defense System (NMD
s) George W Bush (2000) Target: Russia, China, North Korea Launching the New Cold War before 911? Sino-American Spy Plane Crushing Incident
(May 2001) The 911 Irony The Two-front war of Bush after 911:
NMD continued against High-tech enemies Office of Homeland Security against Low-te
ch enemies
The 911 Balance Sheet
Lives: 3,044 World Trade Center: 2,650 Pentagon: 125 Planes: 269 Hijackers: 19 Turnover: 160 times
Financial Cost: USA: US$33,000,000,000 Al-Qaeda: US$1,000,000 Turnover: 33,000 times
Assigned Readings
Main Text: Lawrence Freedman: “A New Type of War” (B&D P.37-47)
Supplementary Text: Christopher Harmon. Terrorism Today. Chapter 2: Strategies (P.44-75).
PART IV Asymmetry in the Views of
Osama Bin Laden
Common People are Innocent?
The Concept of Democracy Eligible voters choose the ones in power to re
present their interests Full Democracy:
Universal Suffrage + Open Election The Concept of Civic Responsibility
Responsible for government’s actions?
Laden’s Perspectiveon Democracy ^o^
Americans are “guilty” because: They voted for the bad government who is evil to
wards Muslim brothers; They supported the bad government’s every actio
n; They did not overthrow the bad government
Common people are part of the US bureaucrats; Attack not asymmetrical
Gross Imbalance of World Power
Unipolarity: Unprecedented since the Roman Empire (27BC-476AD)
US Dominance Political/ International Economic Science and Technology/M
ilitary Culture/ Ideology
Osama Bin Laden: What can I do in terms of the “American Asymmetry”?
Guantanamo Bay Scandal
War against Taliban (2001)
Mistreatment of “detainees” in Guantanamo Bay (US base in Cuba) Lack of Legal Justice Refusal to Apply Geneva
Convention Torture and other Abuses
Criticism of Human Rights Activists
Past Asymmetry of American Attack
Vietnam War (1965-1975) Greatest Disaster of the American
Foreign Policy since WWII Anti-war Movement Chemical Weapons Vs Biological
Opponents Gulf War (1989-1990) + Post-Gulf
War Sanction Vs The Poor Iraqi Estimated number of dead: millions
PART V Conclusion –
Rethinking about Symmetry
Asymmetry = Political Correctness
Political Correctness Unbiased, value-free, factually-descriptive e.g. “value-adding,” “voluntary departure”… Asymmetrical Warfare = a Politically Correct t
erm in the United State? Subjective definition of Asymmetry
Bush’s definition Vs Ladin’s definition
Rationale of Asymmetrical Warfare
Asymmetry as a Tactic to Redress the Existing Asymmetry
Taoist Philosophy again North Korea’s “Mad Diplomacy”
President Kim Jong Il Re-activation of Nuclear Testing Withdrawal from Nuclear Non-prolifer
ation Treaty Open Conflict with USA What else can they do?
A Classroom Analogy
Classroom analogy: how to get good grades by students with no backgrounds? Method A: Work Hard Method B: Give Up Method C: Asymmetrical
measures…
~~The End~~
Thank you for attending