The Cognitive Dimension of Violent Extremist Organizations (VEOs)– Al Qaeda, Islamic State, and Hezbollah

Speaker: Vern Liebl (Center for Advanced Operational Culture Learning (CAOCL))

Date: 23 October 2019

Speaker Session Preview

SMA hosted a speaker session presented by Mr. Vern Liebl (Center for Advanced Operational Culture Learning (CAOCL)) as a part of its SMA CENTCOM Speaker Series.

During his brief, Mr. Liebl compared and contrasted three violent extremist organizations (VEOs)—Al Qaeda, the Islamic State, and Hezbollah—in order to understand (from members’ perspective) why they engage in violence. To begin, Mr. Liebl explained that the term VEO has never been clearly defined. This led him to question whether the term actually accurately describes Al Qadea, the Islamic State, and/or Hezbollah and, consequently, to conduct the cognitive exploration that he presented. Mr. Liebl then stated that in such a cognitive exploration, it is much more important to examine how the people in these organizations view themselves and what motivates them to join and stay with the group, as opposed to what outsiders call them and how they see them. He explained that some Muslims believe that Allah is telling them to engage in terror and that it is an act of love to propagate the faith against those who do not believe. He further stated that the way in which Westerners look at VEOs must be revised, as it does not capture the necessary fluidity and structure of what they are calling “VEOs.” Moreover, VEOs are dynamic, learning organizations that each need to be examined in different ways. Mr. Liebl proceeded to discuss several inherent cognitive dimensional themes within the three “VEOs,” including identity, worldview, narrative, education and socialization, acquiring and processing information, ways of thinking and perceiving, and assimilation vs. mobilization. He then assessed whether each of these “VEOs” should be categorized as such and suggested that to pious Muslims, Al Qaeda is not an extremist group; it is merely following the word of Allah. Moreover, the Islamic State, although far more violent than Al Qaeda, can also be perceived as a non-extremist group when examined in the context of the history of Islamic conquest and propagation of religion based on Mohammad’s example. Hezbollah, however, is considered by most Muslims to be an extremist organization; therefore, Mr. Liebl classified it as a VEO, though it is much less violent than Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. To conclude, Mr. Liebl drew a comparison between Muslims choosing to join VEOs and Americans choosing to sign up for military service in December of 1941 after the attack on Pearl Harbor, stating that as some Americans will mobilize for the defense of the US, some Muslims will “mobilize” for the “defense” of Islam.

Speaker Session Audio Recording

Briefing Materials

Biography:

Vernie Liebl is an analyst and Subject Matter Expert currently sitting as the Middle East Desk Officer in the Center for Advanced Operational Culture Learning (CAOCL), part of Marine Corps University. Mr Liebl retired from the Marine Corps, has a background in intelligence, specifically focused on the Middle East and South Asia, and spent extensive periods deployed, having four combat tours to the Middle East under his belt. In addition to providing operational training support to Marines and sailors deploying to the Middle East, he publishes extensively on topics as varied as the Caliphate to Vichy France in World War Two. Currently employed by Professional Solutions, he also provides support to MARSOC and to the Joint Staff on topics concerning Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria.  

Prior to joining CAOCL, Mr. Liebl worked with the Joint Improvised Explosives Device Defeat Organization as a Cultural SME, and before that with Booz Allen Hamilton as a Strategic Islamic Narrative Analyst. Mr Liebl has a Bachelors degree in political science from University of Oregon, a Masters degree in Islamic History from the University of Utah, and a second Masters degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College (where he graduated with “Highest Distinction” and focused on Islamic Economics).

This speaker session supported SMA’s CENTCOM project. For additional speaker sessions and project publications, please visit the CENTCOM project page.