by Dan Lacca
Before I proceed with this entry, I
feel I am obligated to mention that there are over a billion Muslims in the
entire of world. The majority of which live out there day to day lives in peace
and harmony with the rest of us. This entry is NOT about them.
Al Qaeda was formed during the years
of 1988 and 1989 right in the middle of modern globalization. The Soviet Union
was on the verge of collapse, and advances in Information Technology were
making it possible for non-state actors to coordinate across international
lines challenging the interactions of states with other states as the
fundamental principle of international affairs. When Osama Bin Laden created Al
Qaeda, he was able to build a vast centralized network that operated across
national borders. He became the leader of one of the largest non-state
international organizations in the world. The organization’s primary goal was
to ultimately break off all foreign influences in Muslim countries, and create a global Caliphate. On September 11,
2001, Al Qaeda proved just how powerful a non-state actor could be with the
right resources and leadership. By embracing irregular warfare, Al Qaeda was
able to hold out against the United States, and Osama Bin Laden evaded capture.
Finally on May 2, 2011, United States Navy Seals killed Bin Laden in a compound
in Pakistan, after an intense ten year long man hunt. Upon his death, many
questions were raised about the future of the war on terror. Perhaps the most
important question being asked was “what would the future of Al Qaeda would be
without the man who founded this global network?”
Since Osama Bin Laden’s death in
2011, the structural integrity of Al Qaeda has been hotly debated. Its central
command is believed to be still intact, functioning in the tribal areas of
Pakistan. There are still reports of Al Qaeda operations taking place across
the world, most recently Syria. Rather than being structured as an
international organization operating under a single chain of command, Al Qaeda
has decentralized into multiple independent factions. Some believe this a
ripple affect caused by Bin Laden’s death that will ultimately lead to Al
Qaeda’s demise.
Make
no mistake. Al Qaeda may have been weakened, but it is still very much alive.It
seems for the time being the organization’s primary focus has shifted from an
ongoing conflict with the United States, to more local operations. Each faction
operates separately from the core command acting on its own local or regional
agenda. For example: Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is the North
African faction. Their primary objective is an overthrow of the Algerian
government and to replace it with an Islamic state. Al Qaeda’s Syrian faction
has played a major role in the ongoing civil war, with a similar objective.
These are both local insurrections and although the central command under Ayman
Zawahiri supports the movements it has little involvement in any of the daily
operations. The factions are loosely held together by a simple pledge of
allegiance to one another and sharing the common goal of reestablishing a
caliphate in the Middle East. However, this is the exact goal the organization
was founded on.
