Although the desired goal of an islamic state is the same for both political and militant islamists, there are. Al qaedas use of denial and deception peace palace library. All in all, what can be read as a regionalisation strategy of al qaeda ended. The institute for the study of war isw and the critical threats project ctp at the american enterprise institute conducted an intensive multiweek exercise to frame, design, and evaluate potential courses of action that the united states could pursue to defeat the threat from the. A comparative analysis of alqaeda and the islamic state is 3 globally. Fundamental attribution error and al qaedas strategy. For the study of al qaeda aq, osama bin laden, islamic terrorism or related fields, this book is an excellent starting point. In this case, the adversary is al qaeda and its network of affiliated regional terrorist organizations. Pdf al qaedas birth, development, bellicose power, resistance. This article examines the threats posed by these two groups by discussing their ideologies, structures and capabilities. The organizations merger strategy is a doubleedged sword. Aqap is a merger of al qaeda forces in yemen and saudi arabia. Since the destruction of its taliban afghan sanctuary, al qaeda has been through many mutations, none of which, over time, has been successful.
The first effort must focus on the levant, an area that includes syria and iraq, as well as on the arabian peninsula, which acts as a crucial support for the extremists main fight. The jihad in iraq plays a much more important role in alqaedas strategy than any previous jihads, including afghanistan in the 1980s. How alqaeda and islamic state differ in pursuit of common. Proceeding from the terrorists view of media as a critical arena of jihad, this study applies content analysis to al qaeda and islamic stateproduced magazines in order to empirically differentiate the two groups through the strategies. The manual was found in a computer file described as the military series related to the declaration of jihad. Maybe al qaeda will strike on american soil in the future. Research conducted after the 911 attacks demonstrate that islamic charities were an integral part of al qaeda s fund raising strategy. Al qaeda and fourth generation warfare as its strategy 5a. The al qaeda manual the attached manual was located by the manchester england metropolitan police during a search of an al qaeda members home.
A comparative analysis of al qaeda and the islamic state is 3 globally. Counterterrorism after al qaeda l 103 rorist threat further decentralizeshave always made terrorism a particularly difficult target subject. In their strategic writing, explored here, key islamist strategists stress the role of violence in creating revolution, and describe the export of committed fighters to focoist enclaves at the margins. Heras, the bacevich fellow at the center for a new american security. The strategy of al qaeda and isis understanding isis and. Al qaeda agreed to the rebranding, partly because syrian rebels were uneasy with an alqaeda presence in their ranks. United states faces an increasingly diverse threat from al qaeda affiliates in the. Both isis and al qaeda have long term strategies to create a salafi utopia. Ryan shows al qaeda s politicalmilitary strategy to be a revolutionary and largely secular departure from the classic muslim conception of jihad, adding invaluable dimensions to the operational, psychological, and informational strategies already deployed by americas military in the region. Differentiating al qaeda and the islamic state through.
Al qaeda s evolving strategy, documented in letters between affiliate leaders and borne out on the ground, is partly a pragmatic response to new opportunities and the imperative to adapt after the 2011 arab protests appeared to render it obsolete. The media network of alqaeda is described in order to demonstrate the impact of their well structured media strategy for harnessing the power of the web. The institute for policy analysis of conflict ipac notes that jemaah islamiyah is not an immediate threat, but rather one with a 25yeartime frame for achieving an. Give deterrence a chance a strategy against al qaeda 5a. The role of social networks in the evolution of al qaeda. Ryan finds jihadist terrorism strategy has more in common with the principles of maoist guerrilla warfare than mainstream islam. An assessment of the operational and organizational structure of qaeda al core, its affiliated groups, associated groups, and adherents, and how it has. Between war and terrorism 363 francois gere 16 the united states confronting terrorism 398 arnaud blin 17 terrorism in southeast asiathreat and response 420 rohan gunaratna bibliography 435 contributors 445 index 447. Al qaeda s future depends not only on how its core leadership responds to bin ladens death, but also on the reaction of groups that have adopted the al qaeda brand. Recruitment networks funneling people abroad look very different from the networks of the past. Evolving terrorist tactics, techniques, and procedures. The conflict in iraq finally provided al qaeda with a geographical focus for jihad that it had lacked ever since the end of the war against the soviet union in afghanistan. Decoding al qaeda s strategy available for download and read online in other formats.
Destroying isis and al qaeda, report one frederick w. How alqaeda and isis rely on and respect popular support reflects a basic diference between them. Unraveling al qaeda s strategy open pdf 250 kb gauging the effectiveness of the u. Al qaeda and the islamic state isis, two groups that have already killed thousands of americans and tens of thousands of muslims, are waging war on the united states, our allies, and our friends as part of a general strategy to create a global caliphate. How al qaeda and isis rely on and respect popular support reflects a basic diference between them. This paper assesses current trends in terrorism and future potentialities. The new ideological tactics of alqaeda proves the statement of the council on foreign relations of the us thatin recent years, al qaeda has been quietly rebuilding and fortifying its various branches, systematically implemented an ambitious strategy and discreetly consolidated its influence wherever the movement has a significant presence. Daniel byman is a professor at georgetown university and a.
New ideological tactics of alqaeda to revive its power. It is a religious school based on excess and falsehood whose function is to accuse the companions of muhammad of heresy in a campaign against islam, in order to free the way for a group of those who call for a dialogue in the name of the hidden mahdi who. Alqaedas evolving strategy, documented in letters between affiliate leaders and borne out on the ground, is partly a pragmatic response to new opportunities and the imperative to adapt after the 2011 arab protests appeared to render it obsolete. Alqaeda s operational strategies the attempt to revive the debate surrounding the seven stages plan background on september 11, 2008, the al faloja forum published al qaeda s seven stages plan an operational strategy plan, comprising a number of stages with a defined timetable. Unraveling al qaedas strategy open pdf 250 kb gauging the effectiveness of the u. The media network of al qaeda is described in order to. This comprehensive populationcentric strategy must confront isis and al qaeda on a regional basis, rather than in independent undertakings. Performing organization names and addresses united states marine corps command and staff college,marine corps. Download pdf decoding al qaeda s strategy book full free. Shia, the iraqi and syrian regimes, and secular, pro. Since around 2009, al qaedas core aqc leadership has made a concerted effort to export this strategy to its affiliates and proxies in syria, 3 mali, 4 tunisia, 5 libya, 6 somalia, 7 and yemen. Shahzad reveals that the strategy behind the 911 terrorist attacks and the large alqaeda ambitions to reshape the muslim world came from zawahiris egyptian camp within alqaeda. Al qaedas leading thinkers are steeped in these reformerslong struggle against the establishment. A global strategy for combating al qaeda and the islamic.
Al qaeda has gained from its acquisitions, but it can also be hurt by them. The attached manual was located by the manchester england. Fateh al sham in 2016 reflects alqaedas strategy of guided transformation. Al qaeda agreed to the rebranding, partly because syrian rebels were uneasy with an al qaeda presence in their ranks. An assessment of the current objectives, capabilities, and overall strategy of al qaeda core, its affiliated groups, associated groups, and adherents, and how they have changed over time. Al qaedas post911 organizational structure and strategy. How alqaeda survived drones, uprisings,and the islamic state. The teaching of the reformers has been heterodox and revolutionary from the beginning. The studys central argument is that, given al qaeda s unconventional strategy and the particularities of the worldview characterising those drawn to the group, americas counterterrorist signalling proved largely counterproductive to americas objective of undermining al qaeda s strategic narrative, instead serving in many ways to validate it. Why, then, did alqaeda adopt a strategy of formal expansion, and what does it tell us about the. The base, the foundation, alternatively spelled alqaida and alqaida is a transnational extremist salafist militant organization founded in 1988 by osama bin laden, abdullah azzam, and several other arab volunteers during the sovietafghan war. Download pdf us counter terrorism strategy and al qaeda.
As al qaeda and the islamic state vie for ascendancy in the jihad movement, policymakers grapple with distinguishing the threat posed by these groups. Recent analysis sheds critical light on the current state of jemaah islamiyah ji, an al qaeda linked organization responsible for a series of historical attacks across southeast asia. Fateh al sham in 2016 reflects al qaeda s strategy of guided transformation. A closer look at the extremists militarypolitical plan shows that they have a sophisticated and staged strategy based on mao and muhammad, supporting once again the contention that this is an insurgent problem rather than a terrorist one. In the last two years, travel to territories controlled by isil produced an uptick in deaths. Like al qaeda, it fiercely opposes the saudi government.
This essay examines al qaeda s post911 evolution, its strategy, and its steady fragmentation. Alqaedas 911 attacks was the deadliest ever on american soil, killing nearly 3,000 people. Shahzad reveals that the strategy behind the 911 terrorist attacks and the large al qaeda ambitions to reshape the muslim world came from zawahiris egyptian camp within al qaeda. The role of islamist regional affiliates article pdf available in mediterranean quarterly 232. The al qaeda network today also comprises semiautonomous or self radicalized actors, who often have only peripheral or ephemeral ties to either the core cadre in pakistan or affiliated groups elsewhere. The transformation of terrorism from al qaeda to the islamic state is has created new security challenges. Al qaeda s leading thinkers are steeped in these reformerslong struggle against the establishment. Isis the ruling to kill the americans and their allies civilians and military is an individual duty for every muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it, in order to liberate the alaqsa mosque and the holy mosque mecca from their grip, and in order for their armies to move out of all the lands of islam, defeated and unable to threaten any muslim. We know from the way al qaeda does business, including on the 911 attacks, that they do their homework well in advance, then they update it. Since the fall of the taliban, alqaeda has established operations worldwide, including in syria, the gulf, north africa, west africa, east africa, and the indian subcontinent. Over the past six months, the tahrir institute for middle. Over the past six months, the tahrir institute for middle east policy has sponsored this integral working group of.
Aug 03, 2004 al qaeda suspect reveals communication strategy. Information provided by detainees and in an al qaeda training manual shows. The conflict in iraq finally provided alqaeda with a geographical focus for jihad that it had lacked ever since the end of the war against the soviet union in afghanistan. The combating al qaeda in syria strategy group was formed in july 2016 by nicholas a. Download us counter terrorism strategy and al qaeda ebook pdf or read online books in pdf, epub, and mobi format. An assessmenty bruce hoffman the rand corporation, washington, d. The zawahiri letter and the strategy of alqaeda by shmuel. The zawahiri letter and the strategy of alqaeda by.
Pdf decoding al qaeda s strategy download full pdf. The extremists entire worldview has been based on misguided or. Suicide bombing, is however, gaining traction yet again and attributed more to the tactics of al qaeda arabian peninsula aqap. It is no coincidence that the leader of al qaeda, ayman al zawahiri, recently has 1 other acronyms have been used to designate isis, such as isil islamic state of iraq and the levant. Dec 07, 2010 the organizations merger strategy is a doubleedged sword.
Kagan, kimberly kagan, jennifer cafarella, harleen gambhir, and katherine zimmerman al qaeda and isis. The jihad in iraq plays a much more important role in al qaeda s strategy than any previous jihads, including afghanistan in. It covers tactics, targets, goals, organization, media releases, and the philosophy of aq and provides a timeline of their media releases and attacks from 1992 through 2002. Some invoke the global jihadist rhe toric of al qaeda or isis, while others are. Gerges explains the shift in the is strategy from a focus on the near enemy. The fight against the enemy nearest to you has precedence over the fight. Appreciating the adaptive nature of al qaeda as a movement and the ongoing threat it projects onto u. Army war college,carlisle barracks,carlisle,pa,1705050 8. Alqaeda as insurgency the national strategy for homeland security designates al qaeda as americas most immediate and serious threat.
Understanding the origins of al qaeda, its goals, current activities, and prospective future pursuits is key to developing sound u. Isis people of discernment and knowledge among muslims know the extent of danger to islam of the 12er school of shiism. America has led a concerted leadership decapitation campaign against both al qaeda and isis for a decade and a half. Middle east and africa congressional research service summary after a more than a decade and a half of combating al qaeda aq in afghanistan and pakistan. Al qaeda has developed a coherent strategy for insurgent violence that has much in common with the focoism advocated by che guevara in the 1960s. The rise and fall of al qaeda the web site cannot be found. Al qaeda, trends in terrorism and future potentialities. Decoding alqaedas strategy columbia university press. Click download or read online button to us counter terrorism strategy and al qaeda book pdf for free now. It was also published in a special edition of the georgetown security. In service to its global strategy, al qaeda today pursues six separate lines of operation or subordinate strategies. It examines first the presumed state of al qaeda today with particular reference to its likely agenda in a postiraq war world. Its possible that al qaeda s strategy is based on a fundamental constraint it cant hit the bigger targets.
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