Why hasn Al Qaeda perpetrated an attack on U.S. soil since 9/11?
Al-Qaeda exists, it simply isn’t a centrally powerful bogeyman. It’s more of an ideological franchise, with isolated cells having wildly varying power and connection to other cells – most having nil of the former and little of the latter. Bush milks his exaggeration of Al-Qaeda to spread fear and centralize an enemy where there is no enemy centralized. Others deny the existence of Al-Qaeda to downplay the existence of terrorist organizations at all. That does not mean, however, that there’s no one out there. Certainly, the idea of Al-Qaeda as Terror, Inc. (Osama bin Laden, CEO) is a myth, but if there were to be another attack on American soil, whoever responsible would be connected, even if only through several common allies and goals. A virtual connection, to be sure, but what else is new in this day and age. At any rate, I hear that within the Islamic radical community they reference Al-Qaeda themselves less and less, going more for the general “international jihadist” moniker. A ro
