Al Qaeda is an international terrorist organization, which was formed in August 1988. The word Al Qaeda means 'The Base'. This organization is considered as a top threat for the world super power United States of America. Al Qaeda is responsible for many attacks throughout the world with its extensive and effective networks. This group is responsible for attack like the September 7, 2001 attack on the world trade centre and pentagon in the United States of America. It aims to develop stateless army by bringing all Muslim countries on one platform by establishing caliphate. The European Union, United Nations Security Council, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), United Kingdom, United States of America and many other countries, have declared the group as terrorist organization. Al Qaeda in recent times has been weakened due to the death of their key leaders. Today it is not considered that much efficient and effective…...

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References

Atwan, A.B. (2008). The Secret History of Al Qaeda. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Berner, B.K. (2007). The World According to Al Qaeda. New Delhi: Peacock Books.

Blanchard, C.M. (2010). Al Qaeda: Statements and Evolving Ideology. London: DIANE Publishing.

Hassan, H.A. (2004). Al-Qaeda. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell International.

During the early 1990s, bin Laden insisted that the United States and other foreign troops should withdraw from Saudi Arabia at all costs. bin Laden critized the royal Saudi family publicly for disgracing the sanctity of the birthplace of Islam. With this demand, bin Laden was exiled from Saudi Arabia which would eventually lead to his declaration of jihad in 1996.
Al-Qaeda described the United States as an "alliance of Jews, Christians and their agents."

The United States' military presence in Saudi Arabia was condemned, comparing it to the European Crusades. Furthermore, the international sanctions against Iraq were publicly criticized by bin Laden, as the voice of Al-Qaeda, in addition to his condemnation of America's support of Israel. The global equality Al-Qaeda so desperately thought was lacking could only be achieved, in bin Laden's eyes, through terror.

Terror, bin Laden surmised, was the only way Al-Qaeda could come into contact with the…...

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Bibliography

Blanchard, Christopher. Al Qaeda: Statements and Evolving Ideology. (20 June 2005). Online. Available from   [accessed 26 October 2009].http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/al-queda%20evolve.htm 

Devji, Faisal. "Lying with the Enemy: Militant Islam in the Global Arena." ASIANetwork Exchange 16, no. 2 (March 2009), 68-71.

Hellmich, Christina. "Creating the Ideology of Al Qaeda: From Hypocrites to Salafi-Jihadists." Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 31, no. 2 (February 2008). 111-124.

Moyers, Bill. Brief History of al Qaeda. (2008). Online. Available from   [accessed 26 October 2009].http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07272007/alqaeda.html 

The Department of Homeland Security was created "to develop and coordinate a comprehensive national strategy to strengthen protections against terrorist threats or attacks in the U.S.," according to the Department of State. Ostensibly, the Department will help prevent, prepare for, manage, and recover from future terrorist attacks on American soil. The most visible contribution of the Department of Homeland Security is its much-ridiculed color-coded terrorism alarm system.
The Department of Homeland Security is partly a symbolic response to the failure of existing American intelligence organizations like the CIA and NSA to predict or prevent the September 11 attacks. Boosting both intelligence and homeland security has been a primary concern of the government because of the potential proliferation of terrorist cells in the United States.

In addition to some structural changes to the federal government, the Bush administration also initiated landmark counter-terrorist legislation the most significant of which is the U.S.A. PATIOT…...

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References

Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). "al-Qaeda (a.k.a. al-Qaida, al-Qa'ida)." 7 July 2005. Retrieved Dec 9, 2006 at  http://www.cfr.org/publication/9126/ 

Timeline: Al-Qaeda." BBC News. 4 Sept 2006. Retrieved Dec 9, 2006 at  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/3618762.stm 

US Department of State. "Office of Homeland Security: Basic Facts." Retrieved Dec 9, 2006 at  http://www.state.gov/coalition/cr/fs/12711.htm

Al Qaeda: Ideology, Goals and Objectives
Al Qaeda was literally built as a combination of the hard core of extreme principles, first-rate financial accommodation, and uncluttered deadly force action plan to subdue any obstruction and opposing parties to accomplish the victory of the ideology. eyond the protection of Osama bin Laden's influential fellow persons of the world, the organization found its perfect environment to grow beyond international reach, and work on the dangerous mission to vital target situations, which had involved thousands of deaths and injuries of the innocents.

Osama bin Laden is the crucial personality behind Al Qaeda and the underground operation. Raised in a big family with the strong Islamic ideology, Osama somehow had turned his strong will into an off-beam fanaticism. He takes the Islamic "holy war" concept in a bombastic manner and developed suspicion to many different ideologies in the world that he thought might threaten his. Frantically,…...

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Bibliography

Frontline Document. A Biography of Osama bin Laden. Frontline - Inside the Terror Network. 2001. Accessed on Oct 02, 2002.  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/who/bio.html .

Frontline Document. Inside Al Qaeda - Background. Frontline - Inside the Terror Network. 2001. Accessed on Oct 02, 2002.  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/network/alqaeda/indictment.html 

Orbach, Benjamin. Usama Bin Ladin And Al-Qa'ida: Origins And Doctrines. Dec. 2001. Middle East Review of International Affairs Journal. Volume 5, No. 4 - December 2001. Accessed on Oct 02, 2002.  http://meria.idc.ac.il/journal/2001/issue4/jv5n4a3.htm 

Pike, John. Al-Qa'ida (The Base): Islamic Army for the Liberation of the Holy Places, World Islamic Front for Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders, Islamic Salvation Foundation, Usama bin Laden Network. FAS Intelligence Resource Program. Feb 20, 2002. Accessed on Oct 02, 2002.  http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/ladin.htm .

Al Qaeda's Next Major Domestic Attack On The United States
The fact that the United States has not experienced a major domestic attack since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 is firm testament to the relentless work by the Western intelligence community in identifying potential threats and preventing them from reaching fruition. In fact, a number of such attempts have been detected and eliminated in recent years, some of which may not even be known by the general public. Moreover, several of Al Qaeda's top leaders have been killed (including Osama bin Laden), but new leaders have emerged to take their place and Al Qaeda continues to represent a major threat to American interests at home and abroad. Indeed, many authorities maintain that such a major domestic attack it is not a matter of "if" but "when," making the need for ongoing surveillance of domestic terrorist activities a national priority.…...

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References

Ackerman, G.A. & Moran, K.S. (2006). Bioterrorism and Threat Assessment. The Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission Report No. 22.

Allon, N., Chapman, S. & Egoz, I. (2011, May). "Deterioration in brain and heart functions following a single sub-lethal (0.8 LCt50) inhalation exposure of rats to sarin vapor: A

putative mechanism of the long-term toxicity," Toxicology & Applied Pharmacology,

253(1), p. 31-37.

In general, the operational methods described are elementary to any graduate of a western intelligence organization but not to be underestimated, especially for their effectiveness in the under-developed world. There is some advanced knowledge of weapons and explosives techniques, however, their greatest asset -- and most fearsome characteristic -- is ideology, through which they stand to recruit those who can improve their level of sophistication. As they gain sophistication, the threat they present to the west increases proportionally.
The intelligence techniques described by the manual are low-tech, but rooted mainly in sound theory. The tradecraft described for cell structure follows basic principles of compartmentalization; that described for intelligence gathering follows basic techniques for avoiding pursuit, for minimalizing documentation, for recruitment, etc.; the assassination techniques described must be called rudimentary at best. While the low-tech nature of is a hindrance to Al Qaeda, it must also be accepted that, in the…...

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Bibliography

1. Author Unkown "Al Qaeda Training Manual" Captured by Manchester Police Department. Web. 15 May 2010 from:

http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/terrorism/alqaida_manual/

2. Interview with Defense Minister Rabin on IDF Radio. (1990, Feburary 5). Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 11-12, Retrieved from  http://www.mfa.gov.il/ 

MFA/Foreign+Relations/Israels+Foreign+Relations+since+1947/1988-1992/129+Interview+with+Defense+Minister+Rabin+on+IDF+R.htTal, N.

It is an exaggeration, but not entirely so, that the United States could have done worse in dealing with Al Qaeda by simply attacking, for example, Belgium, Germany, and Italy -- attacking Al Qaeda's strongholds among those who live in the shadows of a world they do not share. (p. 592).
As the nations of Europe continue to hammer out their respective differences in their inexorable march to becoming the United States of Europe (Inc.) in the early 21st century, the support for al Qaeda will likely continue to expand throughout the region as Europeans nations seek accommodation rather than confrontation. After all, in business, "blood is a big expense" ("The Godfather," 1972). As Anderson emphasize, "European military forces, likewise although effectively useless in battle, can be helpful in long-term peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan. Europe can also assist in tracking down and seizing the financial assets of terrorists. These are…...

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References

Abuza, Z. (2003). Funding terrorism in Southeast Asia: The financial network of Al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya. Contemporary Southeast Asia, 25(2), 169.

Anderson, K. (2002). What to do with bin Laden and Al Qaeda terrorists? A qualified defense of military commissions and United States policy on detainees at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, 25(2), 591.

Aydin, C. (2004). The politics of conceptualizing Islam and the West. Ethics & International Affairs, 18(3), 89.

Burke, J. (2004, May-June). Al Qaeda: The mere mention of Al Qaeda conjures images of an efficient terrorist network guided by a powerful criminal mastermind. Yet Al Qaeda is more lethal as an ideology than as an organization. Foreign Policy, 142, 18-20.

One of the most useful sections of the Al Qaeda document is how the terrorist organization inconspicuously communicates and establishes cells. If counterterrorism specialists decide to use surveillance on a suspected cell, they should keep in mind the ways suspects cloak their conversations using code, secret signals, and other communication cloaks. The section on invisible inks should remind counterterrorism specialists to carefully examine each and every piece of correspondence issued by a potential suspect for hidden messages. Messages delivered verbally are similarly cloaked. The counterterrorism department must hire specialists in analyzing communications, because patterns of speech may reveal messages hidden beneath the superficial content of a phone call or taped conversation.

The manual does not mention the use of the Internet for gathering information about their "enemies." However, the Al Qaeda manual does mention that about 80% of the information they glean about their enemies is public domain. The remainder of…...

Terrorist Group Organization
For decades now, terrorists have made use of terror as a tool to advance their agenda; be it religious, political, or economic. In recent times, particularly since the September 11 terror attacks, the war on global terror has gone a notch higher. This has mainly involved increased cooperation between countries (especially with regard to intelligence gathering and sharing), joint military efforts, and efforts to block the financing of terror. It is, however, important to note that all the efforts aimed at reining in on terror must start with proper understanding of how terror groups operate, i.e. terrorist group organization. This discussion will concern itself with chapter 7 of the recommended text. The said chapter is titled, Terrorist Group Organization.

Introduction

Like most organized crime formations, all terrorist groups have common characteristics. For instance, in addition to making use of violence to advance their agenda, terrorist groups largely thrive on media…...

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References

Hamm, M.S. (2007). Terrorism as Crime: From Oklahoma City to Al-Qaeda and Beyond. New York, NY: NYU Press.

Nance, M.W. (2008). Terrorist Group Organization (2nd ed.). Boca Raton, FL: Taylor and Francis Group.

Al Queda Has Shaped the Way
How Al Qaeda has shaped the way the United States uses counter terrorism?

Transnational terrorist networks are currently the greatest emerging threat to global security. They operate in dispersed groups with leaders who are capable of blending into their surroundings and becoming part of the landscape. This aspect alone makes them difficult to counter. Further, they operate as non-state entities with no accountable sovereign. They threaten the fragile governments of weak and failing states and, this would be the worst imaginable case, they persistently attempt to gain access to weapons of mass destruction.

The current essay is a discussion on the issue of how Al-Qaeda shaped the way the United States uses counter terrorism. The author has discussed the structure and role of al-Qaeda and the way United States changed its strategy to counter this terrorism in particular after 9/11.

Terrorist Threat

How the world deals with the emerging…...

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References

Berschinski, Robert G. AFRICOM's Dilemma: The Global War on Terrorism, Capacity Building, Humanitarianism, and the Future of U.S. Security Policy in Africa. Carlisle, PA: U.S. Army War College, 2007.

Butler, Michael J. AU.S. Military Intervention in Crisis, 1945-1994: An Empirical Inquiry of Just War Theory. The Journal of Conflict Resolution 47, no. 2 (April 2003): 226-248.

CNN. Transcript of President Bush's Address. CNN. (accessed October 1, 2010).http://articles.cnn.com/2001-09-20/us/gen.bush.transcript_1_joint-session-national-anthem-citizens?_s=PM:U.S.

Heupel, Monika. Adapting to Transnational Terrorism: The UN Security Council's Evolving Approach to Terrorism. Security Dialogue 38, no. 4 (2007): 477-499.

Al-Qaeda
Developing a Coherent Strategy for a Long ar with Al-Qaeda

The phrase 'ar on Terror' would have been a very uncommon phenomena if it was discussed somewhere near the 1970s. Till then, wars had only been fought amongst nations for the race to become a super power and achieve global supremacy over other states. In present times, the term 'ar on Terror' has brought a new dimension to the concept of war on our planet. This has been due to organizations rising up to achieve their agendas using the means of violence. The Al-Qaeda has been one such organization and it can be said that the current international 'ar on Terror' is being fought mainly because of the Al-Qaeda and its terrorist activities around the globe.

Such activities have and will continue to hinder global development in all aspects and endanger people's lives, if not dealt with urgency. Therefore, to achieve global…...

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Works Cited

Atwan, A.B. (2005). The Secret History of Al-Qaeda. California University Press.

Balz, D. (2011). The Washington Post.

Clauswitz, C.V. (1984). On War. (e. a. Parat, Trans.) Princeton University PRess.

Coll, S. (1992). The Washington Post.

Combating Al Qaeda and Its Network
Develop 8-10-page national defense strategy combat Al Qaeda network. Consider type threat group presents proper responses (i.e. military, LE, political) managing threat. efer current national strategies inspiration ensure paper incorporates ideas.

National or Defense Strategy to Combat Al Qaeda and its Network

Al Qaeda network operations and threats to security come as a different challenge to United States and the coalition forces. Al Qaeda operations and its networks come out as an organized, tactical, decentralized, highly irregular and asymmetric threat of warfare. The tactics Al Qaeda employs have the capability to by-pass the conventional superior strengths of the U.S. military and intelligence force (Carter, 2005).

The operations and organizations undertaken by Al Qaeda are full of deceptive measures that mask behind intelligence, stealth and denial. With the developments observed in technologically advanced communication, transport Al Qaeda operations and networks have a profound global reach. In its operations, Al…...

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References

Carter, A.B. (2005). How to Counter WMD. Foreign Affairs, 83(5), 76-79.

Clarke, R.C. (2006). Against All Enemies: Inside America's War On Terror. New York: Free Press.

Siegfried, S.H. (2007). Toward a Comprehensive Safeguards System: Keeping Fissile Material Out of Terrorists Hands," Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 607(1), 121-132.

His extremism has always been well-known and knowingly harboring him is a significant international offense. In December of 2000 the United Nations imposed sanctions against an Afghanistan struggling under Taliban rule, as a way to get the official government to hand Bin-laden over to international authorities, to answer for his already long list of terrorist crimes and collusions. Since 1998 more than 150 members of Al-Qaeda has been arrested in thirty different nations, for crimes associated with planning, supporting, conducting or abetting terrorist attacks all over the world. These attacks were but a warm up for the masterful September 11th attacks that brought the U.S. And in many ways the entire world to its knees, with its mostly successful administration of terror and its incredible loss of life and property. The attacks led directly to the invasion of Afghanistan by the U.S. And the overthrow of the Taliban government, that…...

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Works Cited

Anderson, Kenneth. "What to Do with Bin Laden and Al Qaeda Terrorists? A Qualified Defense of Military Commissions and United States Policy on Detainees at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base." Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy 25.2 (2002): 591.

Brower, Charles H. "The Lives of Animals, the Lives of Prisoners and the Revelations of Abu Ghraib." Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law 37.5 (2004): 1353.

Edwards, David B. Before Taliban: Genealogies of the Afghan Jihad. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2002.

Esposito, John L. Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.

In that view, Islamic radicals do not hate us because of who (or what) we are, but only what we do in their lands (Scheuer, 2004). Other estern observers believe that view is naive and that while radical Islamists certainly do hate us because of what we do, they also hate us for who we are because the typical estern way of life if offensive to God and to good Muslims regardless of where it occurs in the world. The most important distinction between these two views is that if the latter is accurate, then, the Jihad against the est will not end with the eventual withdrawal of the U.S. from Iraq and that radical Muslim extremists are committed to the complete destruction of any society (including ours in particular) that does not practice Shari 'a Islam.
Dealing with al Qaeda Appropriately:

The domestic and worldwide terrorist threat against estern interests…...

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Works Cited:

Dyer, C., McCoy, R., Rodriguez, J., Van Duyn, D. "Countering Violent Islamic

Extremism." The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, Dec. 2007: 3-9.

Scheuer, M. (2004). Imperial Hubris: Why the West Is Losing the War on Terror.

Washington: Brassey's

Tactics and Strategies Used by Al-Qaeda

Al-Qaeda has come to rely on the suicide attack as its major terror tactic, which is not only terrifyingly effective but also most difficult to prevent. The reason for the success of the strategy is simple: any targeted killing has traditionally been difficult to carry out due to a basic human instinct of self-preservation and any terrorist used to prefer to escape unharmed while carrying out a strike. All defensive measures against terror attacks, until recently, were developed while keeping this basic assumption in mind. The suicide bomber has made all such defensive theories irrelevant since an al-Qaeda operative on a suicide mission not only disregards his own safety; he is actually looking forward to his 'martyrdom.' (Smith, 2002)

The suicide bombings also have other inherent advantages: it is simple and inexpensive; it almost certainly guarantees mass casualties and extensive damage; there are no chances of…...

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References

Dixon, N. "How the CIA created Osama bin Laden." Green Left online. 19 September 2001. Retrieved on October 23, 2008 at  http://www.greenleft.org.au/2001/465/25199 

Dillon, S. "Iraqi Accused of Smuggling Hundreds in Mideast to U.S.," the New York Times, 26 October 200l, p. A18.  http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE3D81031F935A15753C1A9679C8B63 

The Foundation of New Terrorism." (2004) Chapter 2 of National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (the 9/11 Commission). Retrieved on October 23, 2008 at  http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch2.htm 

Hayes, L. et. al. "Al-Qaeda: Osama bin Laden's Network of Terror." Infoplease.com. n.d. Retrieved on October 23, 2008 at  http://www.infoplease.com/spot/al-qaeda-terrorism.html

Operation Anaconda was, at the time, the largest combat operation in Afghanistan as part of the War on Terrorism that was declared after the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  It was launched on March 2, 2002.  Major General F.L. Hagenback, the commander of the U.S. Army 10^th Mountain Division, was responsible for leading an offensive attack on al-Qaeda and Taliban forces that were located in the Shahi-Kot Valley/ Arma Mountain region near Zormat in Afghanistan.  It was the first major battle after the Battle of Tora Bora and was the first battle to feature American....