America's Fight Against Terrorism and Insurgencies Revisited

This paper analyzes how military leaders and planners can use lessons learned from the actions of the KKK and the government response, and apply these lessons to defeat or diminish Al-Qaeda while improving military tactics in the global war on terrorism. The KKK and Al-Qaeda are well known terrorist hate groups based on religious and separatist ideologies. By conducting a compare and contrast analysis of the KKK and Al-Qaeda, the author will argue that the battle against these insurgencies of today and their perceived legitimacy depends more on the efforts of Muslims themselves than on the worldwide implementation of U.S. military instrument of power to help spread democracy throughout the world. The views expressed in this academic research paper are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the US government or the Department of Defense. In accordance with Air Force Instruction 51-303, it is not copyrighted, but is the property of the United States government.