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54———Asymmetrical Warfare

a residential neighborhood, killing seven people and numbers of soldiers, equipment, firepower, morale,
injuring the judges. In March 1995, he ordered an tactics, values, or other factors. Guerrilla warfare,
attack on the Tokyo subway in an attempt to cripple occurring between lightly armed partisans and a
the Japanese government. Twelve people died; conventional army, is an example of asymmetrical
thousands were injured. Evading capture for almost warfare. Terrorist tactics, such as hijackings and
two months following the attacks, Asahara was suicide bombings, are also considered to be asym-
arrested on May 16, 1995. metrical, both because they tend to involve a smaller,
As of this writing, Asahara is still undergoing trial weaker group attacking a stronger one and because
on charges relating to the gas attacks and other cult attacks on civilians are by definition one-way
crimes. Legal observers believe it almost certain that warfare.
he will receive the death penalty, but proceedings Victory in war does not always go to the militarily
may continue for several more years. Asahara con- superior force; the Revolutionary War between the
tinues to be regarded as the spiritual leader of Americans and the English is a clear example of
-
the Aum Shinrikyo. Cultists have purchased dozens effective asymmetrical warfare. Since World War II,
of properties near the jail where Asahara is held, Western powers fighting in developing countries have
which they regard as a holy site; rumors persist that sometimes been defeated by local forces, despite mas-
they will attempt to help him escape should he be sive asymmetries in terms of conventional military
condemned. strength. Colonial powers have been forced to with-
- draw from Algeria, Indochina, Indonesia, and other
See also AUM SHINRIKYO; BIOLOGICAL TERRORISM; CHEMICAL
areas, not as a result of defeat in battle but because of
TERRORISM; TOKYO SUBWAY SARIN ATTACK
the lack of will of the dominant power to sustain the
Further Reading war. In Vietnam, social and political environments
at home forced first the French and then the
Kaplan, David E., and Andrew Marshall. The Cult at the Americans to concede defeat. Insurgents in colonized
End of the World: The Incredible Story of Aum. London: countries often did not need to defeat the sometimes
Hutchinson, 1996. long-established colonizer but merely to persuade it
Lifton, Robert Jay. Destroying the World to Save It: Aum
- to withdraw from the region. Asymmetries of both
Shinrikyo, Apocalyptic Violence, and the New Global
Terrorism. New York: Henry Holt, 1999. power and will were operating: the colonial powers
-
Olson, K. B. “Aum Shinrikyo: Once and Future Threat?” possessed superior military resources, but were reluc-
Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vol. 5, No. 4, July/August tant to actually use them.
1999, 42-47. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United
Reader, Ian. Religious Violence in Contemporary Japan: States found itself with an immense infrastructure and
-
The Case of Aum Shinrikyo. Nordic Institute of Asian military organized to conduct conventional war, and
Studies Monograph Series No. 82. Richmond, Surrey, no potential enemy with equivalent military power.
UK: Curzon, 2000. The Persian Gulf War, fought in 1991 as a conven-
U.S. Department of State. “Aum Supreme Truth (Aum).” tional war against Iraq, showcased the military might
Patterns of Global Terrorism, 2000. http://web.nps.navy. of the United States to the world. The war was
mil/~library/tgp/aum.htm, April 2001.
relatively short, relied heavily on technology and
firepower, and was won without engaging in much
ground combat. The enemy was easy to identify, hos-
ASALA. See ARMENIAN SECRET ARMY FOR tilities generally took place away from inhabited
THE LIBERATION OF ARMENIA. areas, and civilian and U.S. military casualties were
few. By contrast, in Somalia, however, where in 1997
the United States was involved in a complex mix of
humanitarian, police, and military operations, the
ASYMMETRICAL WARFARE United States was not similarly able to take advantage
of its military superiority.
The U.S. military is confident in the country’s
Asymmetries in warfare refer to imbalances ability to prevail in any conventional conflict, but
between opposing forces. These may be differences in believes that the United States is vulnerable to