Marc Sageman: Leaderless Jihad: Terror Networks in the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

The nature and threat of Al-Qaeda and its local affiliates are changing rapidly: seven years after the devastating attacks of September 11, 2001, as a result of the closure of training camps in Afghanistan, the halting of financial transfers and the detention or death of key personnel, it is no longer the major organizing force that aids or authorizes terror attacks and recruits terrorists. Rather, it has become a source of inspiration for numerous local groups which, although commonly perceived and strategically categorized as “Al-Qaeda,” act of their own accord and without any structural connection to the central organization. In carefully illustrating the distinction between the organization or network of “Al-Qaeda Central” and the social movement it inspires, which has effectively acquired an independent dynamic, the central hypothesis of Marc Sageman’s Leaderless Jihad makes an important contribution .