What is the Extent of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Where Does it Derive its Strength in the Sahelian-Saharan Region

<p>While Algeria was facing internal security issues with illegal Islamist armed groups in the 1990s some Sahelian-Saharan states were reducing their institutional presence in their border region with Algeria. Mali was demilitarizing its northern region in application of the peace agreement with the Arab-Tuareg rebellion opening a large corridor to all kinds of smugglings and illegal activities. The Author used the RAND study's variable of ungovernability and conduciveness to analyze AQIM in northern Mali. The importance of kinship relationship in Somalia supported the emergence of a new variable called Fortified Relationships. The objective of the study was to use the RAND's variables to do an analysis of AQIM's center of gravity. The conduciveness variables constitute AQIM's center of gravity critical capabilities and Fortified Relationships constitute its critical vulnerabilities. This emergent variable of Fortified Relationships seems to be a critical factor at least in an African context and warrants further study.</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>