A specific branch of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh al-jihad) regulates the waging of the jihad of the sword (jihad bis saif). In this article, a detailed exposition is presented of the Egyptian Islamic Group’s (IG; Al-Gama’a Al-Islamiyya) use of fiqh al jihad against Al-Qaeda. The present author’s ‘jihad-realist’ approach is first briefly described; the IG’s critique of AQ systematically outlined; and in conclusion, implications are derived for counter-radicalisation strategies.

Militant Islamist Sayyid Imam's legal critique of Al Qaeda's anti-U.S. mass casualty terrorism holds great potential utility for counterterrorist messaging strategy. In this article, a jihad–realist Islamist theological–jurisprudential methodology is first defended as the means most productive for delegitimizing Al Qaeda among high value, religiously motivated recruits. Second, Sayyid Imam's specific allegations and detailed Sharia proofs against Al Qaeda are presented. Finally, implications are drawn for U.S. counterterrorist messaging focusing especially on the utility of wielding this theological–juridical approach as compared to other “counternarrative” approaches, and the vital need to accurately characterize Islamism and its relation to terrorism.

Adam Gadahn's Abbottabad letter offers a rare opportunity to examine how this Al Qaeda Senior Leadership (AQSL) media operative and spokesman conceptualizes and executes media warfare. In this article, I first introduce, depict, and employ the author's Terrorist Quadrangle Analysis (TQA) as a useful heuristic for conceptualizing and representing the four interrelated components of the AQSL terrorist enterprise: political objectives, media warfare, terrorist attacks, and strategic objectives. This TQA construct is then employed to conceptualize Gadahn's media warfare acumen. Gadahn is shown to be an adept communications warfare operative who conscientiously disaggregates and evaluates key target audiences, messengers, messaging, and media. Gadahn's vehement critique of select “jihadi” groups, in particular Tehrik-i-Taliban (TTP), al-Shabaab, and the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), is then described. Key here is how and why Gadahn denounces their indiscriminate, murderous terrorist attacks on Muslim non-combatant civilians and other protected persons as effectively subverting his intended AQSL media warfare strategy and undermining AQSL strategic and religio-political objectives. A concluding section briefly summarizes these chief findings, offers select implications for scholarship and counter-AQSL messaging strategy, and identifies study limitations.

Från oktober 2006 till juni 2007 genomfördes en rad attacker i Irak där man använde bilbomber lastade med klorgasbehållare. Hundratals människor exponerades för gasen och attackerna fick stora konsekvenser för koalitionens agerande. Denna uppsats granskar attackerna för att analysera de krav som ställdes på aktören som genomförde dem. Därefter appliceras kraven på den motståndare som Sveriges insats i Afghanistan möter för att belysa hotbilden för svenska enheter att bli utsatta för en liknande attack. Vidare beskrivs de konsekvenser som hotbilden får för insatsen. Resultatet av undersökningen visar att motståndaren i Afghanistan skulle kunna genomföra en klorgasattack om denne uppfyller vissa kriterier som rimligen skulle kunna uppfyllas. Konsekvenserna för den svenska insatsen är att man, om möjligt, bör undersöka motståndarens kvalitativa kapacitet kopplat mot klorgasens användande, övervaka flödet av klorgas i sitt operationsområde samt öva grundläggande soldatfärdigheter för självskydd.

While previous research on foreign recruitment has investigated how rebels manage to recruit from abroad, little attention has been given to the factors that regulate demand from the rebel point of view. This thesis suggests that the organizational complexity of a rebel group affects its range of personnel needs and capability of rendering recruits into military assets. By conducting a comparative case analysis of Al Qaeda in Iraq (2004-2008) and The Islamic State (2012-2016), the study finds that the variety in foreign recruits experienced by the groups in part can be explained by varying degrees of demand. While organizational complexity cannot be established as determiner for the theoretically suggested mechanisms, it does appear to be a strong predictor for both the needs and capabilities of rebels who recruit from abroad.

Through the increase in globalization over the last twenty years the world has become ’smaller’. The many positive aspects of the phenomenon sometimes make us overlook the negative aspects of globalization. Just as economic markets and communication has moved beyond national borders one of the most negative aspects of society has also become global, namely terrorism. As terrorism has moved on to the global spectrum so has the prevention of terrorism. National governments that are trying to combat terrorism have begun to realize that problems that other nations are facing in another continent could eventually affect their national security. Other nation states that are experiencing state failure may become a national security risk. The aim of this thesis is to examine if global terrorist organizations take advantage of the many problems that a nation faces when it is subject to state failure. It has not been to examine the phenomenon of global terrorism itself or why certain nation states fail. It has rather been to see if there is a connection between the two and if so, how do global terrorist organizations take advantage of these opportunities? The most famous, or infamous, global terrorist organization al Qaeda has on many occasions used the fact that a state is experiencing failure to their advantage. Many of the more common problems that a failed state will face (loss of territorial control, disastrous domestic economy, and bad leadership) have been exploited by al Qaeda who have been able to build an effective infrastructure, build training cams and religious schools, and gain public support in two of the most troubled nations in the world; Afghanistan and Sudan. The conclusion that can be drawn from this examination of the connection between global terrorism and failed states is that terrorist organizations have on several occasions taken advantage of the problems associated with state failure in order to become stronger and build a working infrastructure. It is, however, important to note that terrorism is very rarely the reason fore state failure. Furthermore, the fact that a sate is experiencing state failure does not automatically mean that it will be a breathing ground for global terrorism.

Denna uppsats är en jämförelse av hur terroristdåden den 11 september 2001 i USA och den 11 mars 2004 i Spanien framställdes i Dagens Nyheter. Syftet med uppsatsen är att åskådliggöra hur terroristdåd utförda av Al Qaeda framställs i Dagens Nyheter på två olika kontinenter. Uppsatsen bygger på material från litteratur om terrorism som begrepp och dess gestaltning i media, samt tidningsartiklar om dåden från Dagens Nyheter. En diskursanalys har vidare genomförts på tidningsartiklarna för att kunna se likheter och skillnader i framställningen av text kring dessa dåd. Kodningen och jämförelsen har skett genom en dimensionering av olika företeelser som återfunnits i artiklarna. På detta vis framkom en skillnad i framställningen på dessa olika kontinenter i media. Dådet den 11 september erhåller ett större utrymme i Dagens Nyheter och framställs genom en krigsdiskurs som angår alla demokratiska länder i världen. Amerikanerna framställs i sammanhanget som ett folk som aldrig tidigare upplevt terrorism. Detta medan den 11 mars framställs genom en nedtonad terroristdiskurs som gör händelsen beskedlig och till något alldagligt och en närmare beskrivning av händelseförloppet uteblir. Dådet på denna kontinent angår endast Europa och européerna framställs som ett folk med stor erfarenhet av terrorism och våld. I båda dåden förekommer en vi-och-dem-diskurs, men inriktad på olika företeelser. I dådet den 11 september gestaltas detta genom en motsättning mellan den demokratiska västvärlden och de islamistiska länderna. Detta medan dådet den 11 mars påvisar en motsättning mellan europeiska medborgare och de säkerhetstjänster som fått i uppgift att lösa problemet med terrorism, men som i sammanhanget framställs som opålitliga hemlighetsmakare.

The objective of this study is to investigate trends in international terrorism since the end of the Cold War, including those identified as “new” terrorism and to determine to what extent these are applicable to the Al-Qaeda movement. To achieve this aim, the study focused on aspects such as the origin and development of new terrorism; the differences and resemblances between traditional and new terrorism; the historical development of international terrorism; the effect of the end of the Cold War on terrorism; and factors impacting on contemporary terrorism. An analysis of the Al-Qaeda movement was done with respect to its motivation, ideology, transnational character, target selection, operational strategy and tactics, and its desire to use non-conventional weapons. The intention was to identify aspects which may indicate whether the movement serves as a model of the characteristics identified by certain authors as a new terrorism. Case studies of the most important terrorist incidents linked to Al-Qaeda, including the September 11 attacks on the US, are included. The study demonstrates that the nature of terrorism as an instrument to obtain political objectives has evolved but, at the same time, it has retained most of its essential characteristics. An investigation of the characteristics of traditional and new terrorism confirmed this conclusion, as well as that a differentiation between these types of terrorism is mostly a matter of perspective. Another finding of the study is that terrorist campaigns have rarely obtained their strategic goals but that it nevertheless remains a popular strategy aimed at effecting desired political change. The study furthermore confirms that terrorist groups do not operate in a vacuum but are influenced by the existing political, socio-economic and cultural environments. As such the end of the Cold War has caused specific changes in the international system which facilitated the rise of a movement like Al-Qaeda and which enabled it to function at a global level. The usefulness of the study lies in the clarification of the concepts of traditional and new terrorism; its indication of the evolving of motivations and strategies applied by terrorist organisations; and in the findings about the current campaign of the Al-Qaeda movement. Copyright 2007, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Bester, F 2007, New trends in contemporary international and transnational terrorism as manifested in the Al-Qaeda movement, MSS dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-04112008-125925/ > / Dissertation (MSS)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Political Sciences / unrestricted

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The diploma thesis is focused on the issue of radicalization of young people, who join terrorist organizations inspired by the ideology of Salafi Jihadism. Terrorist groups are one of the greatest global threats of the 21st century, and the recruitment of new fighters is their basic factor of success and growth. Therefore, the aim of the thesis is to compare the methods and techniques of recruitment used by Salafi Jihadist groups and to identify successful strategies of terrorist groups, leading to the radicalization of certain populations. The work deals with two concrete terrorist groups - the "Islamic State" and Al-Qaeda, because these groups operate globally, have sympathizers around the world, and attract different people to join them. The basis of the research is an application of different radicalization models that have been developed up to now on the observed methods and strategies of terrorist recruiters. The result of this research is a revealing of the most used methods of recruitment, the reasons of successful recruitment cases and a summarizing of the qualities of potential recruits and the factors facilitating radicalization of these persons.