How the Insurgents Measure Success

The insurgents do not measure success with the number of Iraqis killed, politicians murdered, bombs exploded, or Marines injured.

The insurgents measure their success by reading poll results from the Western Media. They measure their success by headlines generated, mentions of the words 'quagmire', 'bogged down' and 'withdrawal.'

The insurgents measure their success in this manner because their goal is not to defeat Marines or Coalition Forces on the ground. The end state goal for the insurgents in Iraq is a United State's withdrawal before the Iraqi government is rooted and Iraqi security forces are able to stand on their own.

The Iraqi people, politicians, security forces and Coalition Forces bear the physical brunt of the insurgent's attacks, but the real target of the attacks are the American public, politicians and news media.

A press release from the terrorist group Jaish Ansar Al-Sunnah declared, "The recent intensity of Mujahideen operations, including the timing and location of those operations, did not occur by accident. It was deliberately done to spoil the apostate Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari’s visit to Washington, DC."

There was no operational or tactical necessity for the attacks, the attacks were a strategic move aimed directly at the American public to counter the Prime Minister's visit to the U.S.

This type of warfare, often called 4th Generation Warfare (4GW), seeks to change an opponents political position using every avalible method, to convince an opponent that their current political position is too expensive, unsustainable, 'not worth it' or a mistake. This strategy has been executed successfully for the past 60 years in places like Somalia, Algeria, Vietnam, Nicargua and El Salvador.

Iraq is the latest permutation of 4GW.

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