Rear Adm Harris on the Guantanamo suicides:
"I believe this was not an act of desperation, but an act of asymmetrical warfare waged against us."

What is asymmetrical warfare?

I guess it's when filthy Arab terrorists kill themselves to make America look bad.

..or it could be that the US has totally lost the plot now. They've certainly lost the battle for hearts and minds - those of most of their "allies".

Rob

Douglas Adams made a lot of sense. Ever read Last Chance To See?

Not sure if this'll turn the tide of opinion in the US, hope so.

In a "traditional", symmetric, war, you have two sides and each has approximately the same capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Asymmetric warfare refers to the fact that one side has a vastly different set of strengths and weaknesses. Basically, in this particular case, the US has a vast, traditional military. They are going to attack and defend in units of soldiers with tanks, firearms, missiles, etc. The Iraqis are going to attack with bombs, booby-traps (or IEDs, apparently, according to today's parlance), and so on.

Another good example of an asymmetric war occurred about 225 years ago. One side was a very traditional military and the other side fought with a series of irregulars and guerillas. It has become known as the American Revolution.

The suicide of some inmates at Guantanamo is asymmetric to the max then.

There are really two different definitions of asymmetric warfare, depending on who is doing the defining (from a military or political standpoint). One definition deals with tactics, such as what we know as guerilla warfare.

The other is used more politically, and refers to raw numbers rather than tactics. If a group is vastly overmatched (such as 5:1 or greater for instance), it is also considered asymmetrical.

They tie in to each other though. Generally, the second definition or condition leads to using the tactics in the first. Why they are separate schools of thought is beyond my comprehension.