Tactical Means, Strategic Ends: Al Qaeda’s
Use of Denial and Deception
DEVIN D.
JESSEE
The Fletcher School, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
This analysis surveys Al Qaeda’s employment of denial and deception (D&D) and
shows that it uses D&D...
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Tactical Means, Strategic Ends: Al Qaeda’s
Use of Denial and Deception
DEVIN D.
JESSEE
The Fletcher School, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
This analysis surveys Al Qaeda’s employment of denial and deception (D&D) and
shows that it uses D&D on tactical and operational levels in order to achieve strategic results.
It defines denial and deception and explains how they relate to
Al Qaeda, overviews Al Qaeda’s changing network structure and seeks to summarize
how Al Qaeda employs D&D throughout its operations.
This paper is structured to
show that denial and deception are institutionalized factors that manifest themselves
through all aspects of bin Laden’s organization and that the traditional conception of
D&D—that nonstate actors are incapable of employing deception as an element of
grand strategy—is incorrect.
Keywords deception, denial, Al Qaeda, terrorism, counter-terrorism, September
11, terrorist strategy
Much was made of the Taliban’s use of denial and deception (
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