The Evolution of Al-Qaeda Leading Up to ISIS: The New Face of Terror

The Evolution of Al-Qaeda leading up to ISIS: The New Face of Terror
Abstract
In this paper, I will focus on the evolution and current status of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization leading up to one of its more recent franchises which is known most frequently by any of three names– the Islamic States in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or the Islamic States of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) or the Islamic States (IS) – and is more brutal than the previous versions of al-Qaeda that the world has known. After three distinguishable generations of the al-Qaeda network – generation 1.0 which includes the years before the shocking attack on New York City and Washington D.C. on September 11, 20011; generation 2.0 which ranges from the September 11th attacks to the death of al-Qaeda’s charismatic leader, Osama bin Laden in 2011; and finally, al-Qaeda generation 3.0, in which different forms of al-Qaeda-based terrorist syndicates2, or lone wolves3, are active around the globe. In addition to its organizational transition, their modus operandi and ideology have also changed in various ways. One of the successful reforms was the formation of the ISIS group, the more heinous version of the “core” al-Qaeda whose leaders have turned against ISIS. Although the original al-Qaeda network has lost notoriety, it is still known that its offshoot cell-groups and lone wolves throughout the world continue to commit frequent acts of violence to the non-Muslim countries, especially the West and Israel, unless they are stopped by an outside force. Hence, it is of great importance to examine what lies ahead for the two individual groups in light of the al-Qaeda’s versions to date.

The September 11, 2001 attacks were a turning point in the perception of terrorist groups and their merciless attacks. Many counter-terrorism departments4 and policies were created during the “Global War on Terrorism” (Horwitz, S 2014; Howard, R., & Sawyer, R. 2006:435). As a matter of fact, the world had known smaller-scale

Bibliography: Coll, S. (2004). "The Kingdom 's Interests" In Ghost wars: The secret history of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden, from the Soviet invasion to September 10, 2001 (pp. 403-404). New York: Penguin Press. Congress House Committee on Foreign Affairs Davidson, L. (1998). Islamic fundamentalism (pp. 99-100). Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. Hellmich, C. (2011). What is al-Qaeda?, The future of al-Qaeda From Afghanistan to 9/11. In Al-Qaeda from global network to local franchise. Halifax: Fernwood ;. Hoffman, B. (2006). Defining Terrorism. In Inside terrorism (Rev. and expanded ed., pp. 18- 19). New York: Columbia University Press. Jones, S. (2014). Introduction, A Decentralized Movement, and Growing Capabilities. In A persistent threat: The evolution of Al Qa 'ida and other Salafi jihadists (pp. 8-65). Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. Sekulow, J., & Sekulow, J. (2014). Rise of ISIS: A threat we can 't ignore. New York, New York: Howard Books. Serio, J. (2008). Investigating the Russian mafia: An introduction for students, law enforcement, and international business (p.55, 227). Durham, N.C.: Carolina Academic Press. Shiraev, E., & Sobel, R. (2006). Chapter 4. Attitudes. In People and their opinions: Thinking critically about public opinion. New York: Pearson/Longman. Simon, J. (2013). "Who Are The Lone Wolves?" In Lone wolf terrorism: Understanding the growing threat (p. 39 - 87). Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books. Wright, L. (2006). "Now It Begins" In The looming tower: Al-Qaeda and the road to 9/11. New York: Knopf. Alexander, H. (2014, June 14). How has al-Qaeda evolved since 9/11? Retrieved February 21, 2015, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/al-qaeda/10892014/How- has-al-Qaeda-evolved-since-911.html Alfred, C Bar 'el, Z. (2014, February 12). How ISIS ' strategy differs from Al-Qaida 's - Middle East. Retrieved April 4, 2015, from http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/.premium- 1.629443 BBC News BBC News. (2015, January 14). Charlie Hebdo attack: Three days of terror. Retrieved February 21, 2015, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30708237 Bonner, R., & Perlez, J Bucci, S. (2012, May 7). Seven Terrorist Groups Affiliated with al-Qaeda. Retrieved April 4, 2015, from http://dailysignal.com/2012/05/07/seven-terrorist-groups-affiliated-with- al-qaeda/ Bunel, P Eben, K. (2007, July 18). The Rise of al-Qaedaism. Retrieved April 5, 2015, from http://www.cfr.org/terrorist-organizations-and-networks/rise-al-qaedaism/p11033 Fisher, M Giovanni, J. (2014, December 8). Who Is ISIS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi? Retrieved April 3, 2015, from http://www.newsweek.com/2014/12/19/who-isis-leader-abu- bakr-al-baghdadi-290081.html Hennigan, A Kochis, D. (2015, January 8). 5 Recent Terrorist Attacks by Islamists You May Have Missed. Retrieved February 22, 2015, from http://dailysignal.com/2015/01/08/5-recent- terrorist-attacks-islamists-may-missed/ Lee, F., & Rym, M Livesey, B. (2005, January 25). The Salafist Movement. Retrieved February 23, 2015, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/front/special/sala.html Moore, J Mustafa, H. (2014, February 26). Al-Qaeda: The third generation? Retrieved February 16, 2015, from http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/02/al-qaida-third- generation-201421312828448349.html Newman, A Parrish, B. (2014, July 3). Flashback: The Seven Phases of The Base [Al-Qaeda]. Retrieved February 17, 2015, from http://www.therightplanet.com/2014/07/flashback-the- seven-phases-of-the-base-al-qaeda/ Read, M Riedel, B. (2014, January 3). The continuing evolution of al-Qaeda 3.0 - Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East. Retrieved February 21, 2015, from http://www.al- monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/01/al-qaeda-terror-spread-iraq-lebanon.html# Roggio, B Salman, S. (2014, December 6). ISIS ARE NOT SALAFI. Retrieved April 4, 2015, from http://download.salafimanhaj.com/pdf/SalafiManhaj_ISISNotSalafi.pdf The Arab Awakening The 9/11 Commission Report. (2004, July 22). Retrieved February 28, 2015, from http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report.pdf The Economist Blog Tognotti, C. (2014, September 2). Bustle. Retrieved April 4, 2015, from http://www.bustle.com/articles/38192-what-does-isis-want-exactly-the-terrorists- stated-goal-has-been-made-clear Trifunov, D Walid, A. (2014, July 1). Profile: Mysterious 'Caliph ' Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi. Retrieved February 23, 2015, from https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/blogs/politics/12487- profile-mysterious-qcaliphq-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi Valdmanis, R Watts, C. (2013, December 1). The Three Versions of Al Qaeda: A Primer. Retrieved April 6, 2015, from http://www.fpri.org/articles/2013/12/three-versions-al-qaeda-primer Zelin, A