Dr. John Alexander is a private consultant and serves an adviser to the Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command. His books include The Warrior’s Edge (1990); Future War, with a Foreword by Tom Clancy (1999); and the sequel, Winning the War, which was published in August 2003. In May, he presented a paper at the Conference on the “Changing Nature of Warfare,” in support of the “Global Trends 2020” Project of the U.S. National Intelligence Council.
It should be read by all policymakers.
Our adversaries thrust at the inherent weaknesses of a democratic and open society. Foremost is the battle for public perception, at which we have performed dismally. The core issues are conflicting belief systems. Required is a better understanding of the nature of conflicts we face, the ability to establish the parameters of the war, and the wisdom to understand the strategic implications of use of force. It is at our peril that we continue to define conflict in anachronistic terms.
Here is a pdf of the entire paper.