What is Al Qaeda and why is it so successful?
What's interesting is that Al Queda has always been associated with Osama Bin Laden and Amin al-zawahiri. Al Queda has become a movement. It has almost become a franchise. One of the reasons that they are so successful is that their organizational structure is essentially decentralized, it is flat. You had, prior to operation and account in Afghanistan, and we invaded in that country after Sep 11th, you had a structure where they had command and control in the way of Bin Laden and Amin al-zawahiri and others. Since that time, what was seen to be a tremendous amount of blowback on their part and perhaps success on our part, actually suited them very well. What they are able to do now -- and by the way they started around in 1988-- what they are able to do now is have individuals who've radicalized, self-appointed as holy warriors carry out acts around the world and they can claim success, whenever that happens. So you by the very nature of believing in Al Queda's philosophy and going and blowing yourself up in a building and then being able to go on Al Jazeera and claim success although you have never met them in your life, means that they have an organization which in my opinion is very efficient, very effective, very, very good in a way of being able to carry out further attacks and most importantly interest other people in what they are doing. That is how they are so successful. It is not so much what they are doing, it's that next generation of people that is watching what's happening and believes that they need to become part of the movement.
