Al-Qaeda after 2001 with regard to its strategy

Abstract

After almost a decade since the September 11 Attacks, in which its sanctuary in Afghanistan has been shattered and the vigilance against it has been strengthened, alQaeda still survives and poses a threat to both Middle Eastern and international security. This research attempts to explain the survival of al-Qaeda after 2001 with regard to its strategy. Therefore, the focus of the research is on the effects of alQaeda’s strategy on its survival. Keeping in mind the conventional approach that handles al-Qaeda as a religious terrorist group, this research attempts to have a broader outlook on al-Qaeda by dealing with it as a non-state armed group. In this way, this research handles the situation as an asymmetrical conflict between alQaeda and the U.S. and its allies. Within the asymmetrical conflict, the strategy that al-Qaeda has pursued involves an indirect approach that compensated for the disadvantages it faced. The results of the research could pave the way for further research on the course of al-Qaeda in the context of the changing security environment in the Middle East.