Contemporary jihadi terrorism : defending the city-state of Singapore against the asymmetric enemy

• Main Author: Muhammad Faizal Abdul Rahman
• Other Authors: Ahmed Salah Hashim
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Sociology::Terrorism
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/77230
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Counter-terrorism is an asymmetric conflict in which societies and states are fighting a “perpetual and permanent war” against the global threat of jihadi terrorism. Global jihadi terrorist groups – Al Qaeda and the Islamic State – have the unlimited goals of totally changing the international order. Jihadi terrorists use asymmetric methods to conduct unconventional attacks and exploit the weaknesses of their targets. Indeed, transnational jihadi terrorism is akin to an insurgency across states. An appreciation of the grand strategies of global jihadist terrorist groups is necessary, besides their ideology, to keep counter-terrorism efforts effective. It is insufficient for past and current trends to inform counter-terrorism efforts. Cities are central to the jihadi grand strategy, and this is a concern for Singapore as it is a city-state in East Asia, which the Islamic State had declared as one of its provinces. Asymmetric (or hybrid or unrestricted) methods can feature significantly at the grand strategic level by hitting the political and economic base of a city-state. This research paper examines the grand strategies of global jihadi terrorist groups and how asymmetric methods feature in the strategies. It also examines the grand counter-terrorism strategy of Singapore and how it may fare in the duel against the jihadi grand strategy. Finally, the paper offers an analytical framework that may help ensure the sustainability of the grand counter-terrorism strategy.