Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

On April 21, 2010, Gartenstein-Ross spoke at an all day event entitled, “Emerging Al Qaeda Safe Havens and Regional Nodes: Beyond Yemen: Somalia, the Maghreb, Sub-Saharan Africa…,” at Fort McNair and sponsored by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.

Major topics of discussion included :
* Al Qaeda: Resource, Training, Funding Streams, and Organizational Models
* Al Qaeda and the Dynamics of Local: Institutional and Informal Networks of Support
* Best Practices in African Partnerships: US and Allies
* Testing the Limits: Assisting Weak States, Reconstructing Failed Regimes/States
Our schedule is still very flexible, and we would be happy to incorporate any suggestions you may have regarding topics or potential participants.

The three panelists assessed Al Qaeda’s tactics to win “local support.” Gartenstein-Ross began by outlining discernible trends in efforts by al-Qaeda affiliates—in particular, al-Shabaab in Somalia—to garner localized support. He argued that the United States’ initial paradigm for understanding how to win support was simultaneously off-base but also reflected a very real aspect of the picture: the double-edged sword that al-Qaeda affiliates face.

Gartenstein-Ross’ co-panelists were Andrew Black, President & CEO of Black Watch Global and Nathan Hughes, Director of Military Analysis at STRATFOR Global Intelligence.