al-Qaeda From Global Network to Local Franchise

Al-Qaeda, the first transnational terrorist group of the 21st century, embodies the new enigmatic face of terrorism. Since perpetrating the most destructive act of terrorism to date on September 11th 2001, it has dominated discussions over national and international security. Yet, what is the physical and ideological make-up of this group that features so prominently on our security radar? What lies behind the espousal of Islam, anti-Americanism and the resort to violence? Does al-Qaeda, as some commentators have proclaimed, challenge the stability and the political order of the international system? In this concise but comprehensive volume Hellmich provides a penetrating overview of the organisation, its members and ideological make-up. Moving beyond this, she maps al-Qaeda's transition from a global network to localised fragments in the broader context of theoretical and conceptual concerns that arise from the post-9/11 debate. An essential guide to one of the most notorious but little-understood organisations of our time.

Christina Hellmich is Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Reading, UK.

1. Introduction: September 11th and the Anxious Search for Answers
2. Who is Al-Qaeda?: From Afghanistan to 9/11
3. Hypocrites, Wahhabis and Salafi-Jihadis: Post 9/11 explanations of Al-Qaeda’s ideology
4. Reclaiming the Umma: The ideology of al-Qaeda in the context of the Pan-Islamic Tradition
5. Al-Qaeda Post-9/11: Destroyed, Weakened or Re-emergent?
6. The Future of Al-Qaeda
Bibliography