Preempting and Countering Al Qaâ??idaâ??s Influence

<p>From shortly after its inception Al Qa'ida has sought sanctuaries from which it could safely operate and provide support to Islamist groups around the world. It found one in Sudan from 1992 to 1996 in Afghanistan from the late 1980s to 2001 and in northern Pakistan in the 1980s 1990s and even after 2001. It also sought a sanctuary in Somalia in the early 1990s but had only limited success due to a number of societal factors. Operation Enduring Freedom ousted Al Qa'ida from its Afghani safe haven forcing it to find a secure environment elsewhere. Initially it was in northern Pakistan but Al Qa'ida undoubtedly will search for other areas to expand its influence as international influences pressure the Pakistani government to allow more and more operations into the northern provinces. This thesis develops and validates a hypothesis that identifies eight characteristics of a society that attracts Al Qa'ida and helps them establish a secure environment from which to operate. The characteristics defined in this hypothesis will aid in predicting Al Qa'ida's future engagement endeavors and help develop more tailored poignant engagement strategies to preempt or counter Al Qa'ida's expansion efforts.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p><br>