Global guerrilla warfare is focused on system and market disruption. This focus provides guerrillas with a quantity of leverage unachievable through any other means of attack. The lesson of Iraq (particularly since it is similar to the Spanish Civil War as a harbinger of future conflicts), is that the systems under attack are all critical elements of globalization. A good list of the elements of globalization is provided by Thomas Barnett in his book, "The Pentagon's New Map." They include:
- Movement of people across borders. Employees of multinationals -- drivers, engineers, etc.
- Flow of resources. Oil, LNG, minerals, etc. from the places that have them to those that need them.
- International investment. Flow from the sources of capital to locations that need it.
- Security. An environment that supports international security efforts (which typically falls to the US).