The American Insurgency

Are you awake yet?

For several weeks, we've watched in horror as our major cities have been burned, looted, and destroyed.  No-go zones have been declared.  And in the streets, our citizens have been beaten, raped, and murdered.

All this while spineless politicians chime in unison with the mob to "defund the police!"  How can this be?  Why is this happening?

The answer is that we are witnessing in real-time an American insurgency.  An insurgency is an organized, politico-kinetic struggle designed to destabilized the government or political authority.

Insurgencies gain support from the population through:

• Persuasion
• Coercion
• Foreign/Domestic Support

1.  Persuasion:  Insurgencies first gain root among the local population by espousing a sympathetic narrative.  Often this narrative couched as a reaction towards social inequities, injustices, or abuses of power.  This is done to "win the hearts and minds" of the base.

2.  Coercion:  At the same time, a campaign of violence is waged to silence any opposition and bring the rest of the populace into submission.  Typically, this is carried out using a 3-pronged attack, not necessarily in this order:

One, attack law enforcement and the security apparatus.

Two, attack the grid and infrastructure.  You block roads, you interfere with commerce, maybe even destroy the utilities.  In essence, you make life difficult for society to conduct life and business as usual.

Three, physically beat, massacre, or intimidate the opposition.

The coercion model is designed to do one thing:  erode the public's confidence in the ability of the government to provide basic security and stability for the community.

Once you achieve that, you pave the way to bring in a new order, but we'll talk about that another time.

3.  Foreign/Domestic Support:  Wrapping it all together, is institutional support.  Insurgencies need supplies, funding, and "cover" for their operations.   

The whole idea of a "grass roots" operating and more propaganda, than substance.  These movements need support This can come from a foreign government, but not always.  Insurgencies can also receive support from factions within the local government itself.  

This is the "suit-and-tie" or public relations apparatus that helps shape and control the narrative for the group while they carry out their true, oftentimes unstated goals.

So, think back on what we've witnessed in the news over the last few weeks.  Does any of this look familiar?  
 
We are in the fight of our generation.  And while these times are dark and perilous, there is something we can do, but it's going to take all of us.

But the first step in this fight starts with answering this question:

Are you awake yet?

More to come....

Stay sharp. 
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Photo by Randy Colas on Unsplash