Islamists and strategic planning: facts and plans in need of change

We have learnt a major lesson from professional training sessions and that is the importance of concisely defining the target that we ultimately want to reach, how to set the path for achieving this goal and finally what mechanisms to employ in order to achieve this goal in a timely manner and with the resources that are available.

What we have also learnt from such training sessions is that one must consider several variables when designing and implementing a plan for change because variables may change and one must be able to adjust to said changes accordingly. This type of flexibility gives us the ability to create plans in accordance to the factual data available to us and therefore, reach our goal on time.

Strategic plans of this nature are often categorised by their flexibility, especially when it comes to major long term goals that are related to political projects or changing the status quo of a political reality or a confrontation with the occupier.

Forces such as Islamist movements or political and partisan forces as a whole need to get involved in taking advantage of this initial and basic principle of strategic planning when engaged in political or transformative battles of struggle. Thus, it is important for us to remember that changing the initial strategy for achieving a goal does not mean that one has to abandon the end goal in sight, which often embodies the political purpose of Islamic movements as well as their top priorities as political organisations.

The observations I have mentioned above are ultimately realities that could be applied to all the political forces and movements that are currently at play in the Arab world. This not only includes Islamic forces but political groups that aim to mobilise for a better reality and a struggle against injustices and tyranny.

There are numerous examples of Islamic movements and political parties whose ways of strategic planning involves applying the rules mentioned above in a proper manner. This includes the Ennahda party in Tunisia, Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Justice and Development Party in Morocco and the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey, where we have seen how these movements deliberately and intentionally change their working methods to meet their political objectives according to the changing circumstances and the possibilities present in their socio-political realities. We also see this type of strategic planning at play in major countries such as the United States, Russia, Europe, Israel and some East Asian countries as well.

And yet, by contrast, we find that many Islamic parties are currently drowning in internal political conflicts and by consequence, refuse to change their overall strategy in implementing a strategic development plan. Therefore, they find themselves in the face of a political impasse that prevents any progress or changes in the political reality. Islamic political parties are often unwilling to change their strategies and therefore end up acquiring more losses that have a negative impact on the national level.

I will not blatantly point to any one political party by name but any one of us can objectively apply the points mentioned in this article to see whether individual political parties, whether Islamic or not, are effective in achieving their goals for political change. We can then ask ourselves if these strategies lead to positive results or the desired objectives or not. We can also ask the question: Do our strategies help the nation or not?

We are all aware of the importance of self-criticism and the need to do so in order to foster and implement the changes that are necessary to improve our socio-political realities. I urge all Islamic parties to self-evaluate their progress accordingly and to assess what the sources of their internal conflicts are. True change requires adapting methods according to the data available at hand and recognising the fact that working with potential possibilities is not a sign of weakness; it is the best method in order to shorten the road to get to the right objectives, and this is what many Islamists are in need of at this stage.

Translated from Arabi21

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.