The Evolution of the Global Terrorist Threat: From 9/11 to Osama bin Laden's Death (Columbia Studies in Terrorism and Irregular Warfare)

Examining Major Terrorist Acts And Campaigns Undertaken In The Decade Following September 11, 2001, Internationally Recognized Scholars Study The Involvement Of Global Terrorist Leaders And Organizations In These Incidents And The Planning, Organization, Execution, Recruitment, And Training That Went Into Them. Their Work Captures The Changing Character Of Al-qaeda And Its Affiliates Since The Invasions Of Afghanistan And Iraq And The Sophisticated Elements That, Despite The West's Best Counterterrorism Efforts, Continue To Exert Substantial Direction Over Jihadist Terrorist Operations. Through Case Studies Of Terrorist Acts And Offensives Occurring Both In And Outside The West, The Volume's Contributors Investigate Al-qaeda And Other Related Entities As They Adapted To The Strategies Of Operation Enduring Freedom And Subsequent U.s.-led Global Counterterrorism Programs. They Explore Whether Osama Bin Laden Was Indeed Reduced To A Mere Figurehead Before His Death Or Continued To Influence Al-qaeda's Global Activities. Did Al-qaeda Become A Loose Collection Of Individuals And Ideas Following Its Expulsion From Afghanistan, Or Was It Reborn As A Transnational Terrorist Structure Powered By A Well-articulated Ideology? What Is The Preeminent Terrorist Threat We Face Today, And What Will It Look Like In The Future? This Anthology Pinpoints The Critical Patterns And Strategies That Will Inform Counterterrorism In The Coming Decades.-- Introduction / Bruce Hoffman And Fernando Reinares -- In The West. The Evolution Of The Post-9/11 Threat To The U.s. Homeland / Lorenzo Vidino ; The 2004 Madrid Train Bombings / Fernando Reinares ; Operation Crevice In London / Peter R. Neumann And Ryan Evans ; Dhiren Barot And Operation Rhyme / Lindsay Clutterbuck ; The Van Gogh Murder And Beyond / Beatrice De Graaf ; Leadership And The Toronto 18 / Stewart Bell ; Operation Pendennis In Australia / Sally Neighbour ; The 7 July 2005 London Bombings / Bruce Hoffman ; The 2006 Airline Plot / Paul Cruickshank ; The Foiled Attacks In Italy In 2006 / Javier Jordan ; The German Sauerland Plot, Central Asia, And Turkey / Guido Steinberg ; The Danish Glasvej Case / Michael Taarnby ; The January 2008 Suicide Bomb Plot In Barcelona / Fernando Reinares ; Ansar Al-fatah And Iraqi Networks In France / Jean-pierre Filiu -- Outside The West. Al-qaeda Terrorism In Afghanistan / Seth G. Jones ; Attacks Of Al-jemaah Al-islamiyah In Southeast Asia / Rohan Gunaratna ; The Mombassa Attacks Of November 28, 2002 / Jonathan Fighel ; The Origins Of Sectarian Terrorism In Iraq / Mohammed M. Hafez ; The November 2003 Istanbul Bombings / Guido Steinberg And Philipp Holtmann ; The Sinai Terrorist Attacks / Holly L. Mccarthy And Ami Pedahzur ; Comparing The 2003 And 2007 Incidents In Casablanca / Jack Kalpakian ; The 2007 Suicide Attacks In Algiers / Anneli Botha ; The 2003 Riyadh And 2008 Sanaa Bombings / Thomas Hegghammer ; The 2008 Mumbai Attack / C. Christine Fair ; The 2010 Suicide Attacks In Kampala / Anneli Botha -- Conclusion / Bruce Hoffman And Fernando Reinares -- List Of Contributors -- Index. Edited By Bruce Hoffman And Fernando Reinares. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Examining each major terrorist act and campaign of the decade following September 11, 2001, internationally recognized scholars launch original studies of the involvement of global terrorist leaders and organizations in these incidents and the planning, organization, execution, recruitment, and training that went into them. Their work relays the changing character of al-Qaeda and its affiliates since the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq and the sophisticated elements that, despite the West's best counterterrorism efforts, continue to exert substantial and sustained control over terrorist operations. Through case studies of terrorist acts occurring both within and outside the West, the volume's contributors investigate al-Qaeda as it adapts to the strategies of Operation Enduring Freedom and subsequent U.S.-led global counterterrorism campaigns. They explore whether Osama bin Laden was indeed reduced to a mere figurehead before his death or whether he successfully exercised global command over al-Qaeda's activities. Did al-Qaeda become a loose collection of individuals and ideas following its expulsion from Afghanistan, or was it reborn as a transnational organization powered by a well-articulated ideology? What is the preeminent terrorist threat we face today, and what will it look like in the future? This anthology pinpoints the important patterns and strategies that will best inform counterterrorism in a new century Contents Introduction Part I. In the West 1. The Evolution of the Post-9/11 Threat to the U.S. Homeland 2. The 2004 Madrid Train Bombings 3. Operation Crevice in London 4. Dhiren Barot and Operation Rhyme 5. The Van Gogh Murder and Beyond 6. Leadership and the Toronto 18 7. Operation Pendennis in Australia 8. The 7 July 2005 London Bombings 9. The 2006 Airline Plot 10. The Foiled Attacks in Italy in 2006 11. The German “Sauerland” Plot, Central Asia, and Turkey 12. The Danish Glasvej Case 13. The January 2008 Suicide Bomb Plot in Barcelona 14. Ansar al-Fatah and “Iraqi” Networks in France Part II. Outside the West 15. Al-Qaeda Terrorism in Afghanistan 16. Attacks of al-Jemaah al-Islamiyah in Southeast Asia 17. The Mombassa Attacks of November 28, 2002 18. The Origins of Sectarian Terrorism in Iraq 19. The November 2003 Istanbul Bombings 20. The Sinai Terrorist Attacks 21. Comparing the 2003 and 2007 Incidents in Casablanca 22. The 2007 Suicide Attacks in Algiers 23. The 2003 Riyadh and 2008 Sanaa Bombings 24. The 2008 Mumbai Attack 25. The 2010 Suicide Attacks in Kampala Conclusion Contributors Index Featuring essays by internationally recognized scholars, The Evolution of the Global Terrorist Threat examines major terrorist acts and campaigns undertaken in the decade following September 11, 2001. These experts track the involvement of global terrorist leaders and organizations in these incidents and the planning, organization, execution, recruitment, and training that went into them. The essays capture the changing character of al-Qaeda and its affiliates since the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq that in part led to the emergence of the Islamic State and the sophisticated elements that, despite the West's best counterterrorism efforts, continue to exert substantial direction over jihadi terrorist operations. World-renowned experts on terrorism track the evolution of global jihad from the attack on the World Trade Center to the death of Osama bin Laden.