Lessons from Mumbai

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This is a sobering assessment from Brian Michael Jenkins

Terrorists Can Think Strategically [.PDF]

Lessons Learned From the Mumbai Attacks

This point caught my eye:

Once again, terrorists have demonstrated that with simple tactics and low-tech weapons, they can produce vastly disproportionate results. The Mumbai attack was sequential, highly mobile, and a departure from the now common suicide bombings, but the tactics were simple— armed assaults, carjackings, drive-by shootings, building takeovers, barricade and hostage situations.

While these are new tactics for terrorists, they are commonplace crimes in America. Furthermore, armed citizens frequently stop these sorts of crimes long before the police respond.

More discussion and links can be found here:

Armed citizens and al Qaeda swarms