With the Arab Spring and the subsequent political upheaval in the Middle East and North Africa, many groups labeled as terrorists by politicians and intelligence agencies across the world have announced their plans to enter legitimate state politics. Many of these groups have had political wings in the past, whereas others are in the process of transition from armed resistance groups to legitimate political parties. Groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas have maintained both wings for decades now, but other groups are now making waves in the political realm. What is difficult for Western governments, however, is to determine whether they can develop trust in these groups. Are these new groups truly political parties or do they still have an undercurrent of violence? Can an armed resistance/terrorist group truly become a legitimate political party? What will happen if a supposed terrorist group is democratically elected to office? In order to assuage their fears, governments must rely upon strategic intelligence gathering in order to differentiate between armed groups and political parties. This essay provides an overview of the current transition in many of these countries along with an explanation of the reliance of those who study terrorism on strategic intelligence gathering.

Terrorist group or political party?

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood is one group which has long been a challenge to understand. The group, founded in 1928 by Hassan al Banna, was banned from Egyptian politics by Egyptian president Abd al Nasser in the 1950s after an assassination attempt on his life. The group renounced violence in the 1970s and declared that it would seek an Islamic state via a democratic system. In 2005, Muslim Brotherhood members did make up close to one fifth of all Egyptian parliament seats. Recently, it created its own Freedom and Justice Party and announced it would participate in the Egyptian parliamentary elections.

Egyptian Islamist group Gama’a al-Islamiya is another terrorist group turned political party. During the 1990s this group launched numerous terrorist attacks against tourists in Egypt as well as an attempted assassination on recently deposed President Mubarak. The group’s goal was to violently overthrow the Egyptian government. Professionals who study terrorism should be very familiar with this group, as its former spiritual leader, Shaykh Umar Abd al-Rahman was jailed in the United States for his involvement in the first World Trade Center bombings in the early 1990s. The group declared a cease fire in 1999, split into two, and in 2002 declared that it had used jihad in a misguided manner. Recently, senior member al-Zumar announced the group would become active in Egyptian politics. “The party will not use violence in dealing with any situation or with the state and will abide by Egyptian law and the constitution,” he said. “We want to tell the world that Islamists are not seeking power…We will work to remove the people’s fears of Islamists. Our new party will include Christians and women who would be able to hold senior posts in the party if they win them.”

Importance of strategic intelligence

The rhetoric and action of these Egyptian groups thus far indicates they are now seeking a political solution to their needs and desires. Given their background, especially that of Gama’a al-Islamiya’s recent past, Western governments must utilize and act upon strategic intelligence gathered by agents and those analysts who study terrorism to determine the group’s dynamics within the particular state and to determine whether the group represents a threat to its own state as well as to Western interests. By utilizing strategic intelligence, governments will better understand these groups who have publicly renounced violence and determine whether they can work effectively with them in international negotiations.

Author Bio: Dan Sommer works for Henley-Putnam University, a leading educational institution in the field of Strategic Security. For more info on Henley-Putnam University, strategic intelligence, study terrorism, call 888-852-8746 or visit us online at http://www.Henley-Putnam.edu

Category: Education
Keywords: strategic intelligence, study terrorism