Description
The war on terror has set a precedent in human history where decentralized organizations are evolving. The way law enforcement and traditional military confronts the spread and survival of non-state enemies is insufficient to keep up with that evolution. It is because of a lack of understanding about how non-state actors are formed and function that creates a gap in how state actors respond to non-state threats. The way a terrorist organization or a drug cartel is formed is not much different from the way any other group is created. Most non-state organizations follow the same pattern of decentralized networking explained in Ori Brafman's Starfish and the Spider. However, where Brafman reasons that the decentralized nature observed in groups are a new phenomena, one of the purposes of this case is to show historical evidence that decentralized networking is not a new occurrence. To illustrate this point this author has chosen to observe and compare the Czech resistance to Nazi German occupation during World War II. The story of the Czech resistance falls in line with most guerrilla organizations fighting a larger, superior, and well-trained force. It was a loose cluster of cells that for the most part worked independently of each other against a common enemy. The origins of this group also follow a similar pattern described in Brafman's principles of decentralization and that is typical of most decentralized networks today. This study is significant because it recognizes that the organization of underground or non-formal groups is a humanly innate phenomenon. Criminal syndicates, terrorist organizations, and resistance groups are more a challenge today than they have ever been and by looking at history one can find new solutions to current challenges in combating non-state actors. In addition, this study will also compare the Czech case study to challenges that the United States and the international community face today. It provides an in depth look at the Czechoslovak condition under Nazi occupation, and traces the creation, adaptation, and survival of the resistance to the Nazis and the puppet government it supported.
