Despite several hundred books and countless words of analysis since 11th September, there is still some confusion over al Qaeda’s true nature. Some, albeit a diminishing number, believe that al Qaeda is a group of fanatical terrorists, led by Osama bin Laden, with a network of “sleeper cells” all over the world. Some describe al Qaeda as a set of loosely linked groups with broadly shared goals. It is spoken of as a “brand” or a “franchise.” Others deny the existence of al Qaeda altogether, saying that if al Qaeda is anything, it is a worldview. Still more want to use it as a label applied to all modern, Sunni Muslim salafi jihadi militant activism.
This lack of definition has clouded thinking and policymaking. Politicians and intelligence services know that to label any attack in their own country as the work of al Qaeda simultaneously deflects attention from their own domestic problems and establishes them as allies in the war on terror. At the least this improves their standing with Washington; at best it releases a torrent of aid and diplomatic support. The governments of Russia, Uzbekistan, Algeria and the Philippines have been shameless in finding al Qaeda responsible for events that they know are nothing to do with any external group.
Al Qaeda – the three phases
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