Monday July 25, 2005

I've Been Thinking:

Al Qaeda. Why, despite the best efforts, technology, intelligence gathering, of the West, has al Qaeda continued to thrive? Why has the West been unable to cripple al Qaeda?

Al Qaeda of today is not the al Qaeda of 9-11. They have morphed into a very different organization.
True the West has rooted out most of the high leadership of 9-11, but they have been replaced and now there are more of them than before.

Today's al Qaeda is loosely connected, more mobile, more independent.
Today's al Qaeda has no one central command structure, but 10's of command structures gathering, planning and committing attacks.
Today's al Qaeda is local with links internationally.
Today's al Qaeda is linked in training and ideology but not in relationships.

That is what makes the big difference between now and 9-11.
That is why it is so hard to catch or cripple al Qaeda.
They were local in London. They were local in Egypt. They were local in Spain. They were local in Turkey.
They will continue to operate in this manner. It is efficient. It works.