How Centralized is Al-Qaeda?
Analysts differ on the question of Al-Qaeda’s centralization. On one end of the spectrum are people such as Jason Burke.[7] Arguing that Al-Qaeda has been significantly degraded since it lost its sanctuary in Afghanistan, Burke claims that the “nearest thing to ‘Al-Qaeda,’ as popularly understood, existed for a short period between 1996 and 2001. Its base had been Afghanistan, and what I had seen at Tora Bora were the final scenes of its destruction. What we have currently is a broad and diverse movement of radical Islamic militancy.”[8] Burke argues that there were three elements to Al-Qaeda during the period from 1996 to 2001: “a hardcore, a network of co-opted groups, and an ideology.”[9] He says that the “Al-Qaeda hardcore” was comprised of bin Laden’s longtime associates as well as perhaps 100 of the world’s preeminent terrorists, who worked closely with each other and occasionally left their safe haven to run operations, but who did not always agree over ideology or tactics.[10]
