This free white paper argues that the development and implementation of a counter-insurgency strategy that fully integrates all elements of national power is critical to success in the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT).

The paper discusses the flaws in declaring war on the method of terrorism rather than focusing on the actors or insurgents that use these methods.

The paper analyzes Al-Qaida, the underlying social, economic and political conditions that support an insurgency, Al-Qaida's ideology, leadership and strategy, and the sources of support that enable an insurgency, providing valuable insights in developing a strategy to defeat it.