Adam Schwarze has been obsessed with the United States Navy SEALs since his youth. Initially joining the Marines after 9/11, he spent a decade with the branch before his acceptance into Naval Special Warfare (NSW). Now a Navy SEAL officer and lieutenant with the Navy, Adam Schwarze maintains his interest in military operations, particularly in relation to counterinsurgency.
The terms “insurgency” and “terrorism” are often confused. Both are methods of political violence and fall under the category of asymmetric warfare. They often use the same methods to achieve their goals. However, the strategies they incorporate differ from one another.
Terrorism refers to a purposeful act of violence or threat of violence that creates fear. This fear results in compliant behavior from either the audience who witness the act or the victim of the act. The goal of intentionally striking fear and anxiety into a target is typically to achieve a political objective.
Meanwhile, insurgency is a political-military activity that partially or completely controls a country’s resources. This activity incorporates the use of irregular military forces, such as terrorism and guerrilla warfare. Political mobilization, such as recruitment and propaganda, are also used by insurgent groups to weaken governments for a future takeover.
Insurgency focuses on generating public support and legitimate governance based on political ideals, whereas terrorism predominantly focuses on generating fear. While nearly every insurgent group uses terrorism as one of its tactics, not all terrorist groups are insurgencies, since they do not have as strong an interest in political upheaval.
