Author Description
On 16 June 2011, Three Days Before His Sixtieth Birthday, Ayman Al-zawahiri Was Declared The New Leader Of Al- Qaeda, Replacing The Fallen Osama Bin Laden. The Veteran Egyptian Jihadist Had Little Of His Predecessor's Charisma And Enjoyed Much Less Popularity, Respect And Celebrity. Yet, As Scores Of Jihadi Commanders From Different Organisations Have Succumbed To Their Enemies' Missiles, Bombs And Bullets, Zawahiri Has Soldiered On. His Tenure As Al-qaeda's Leader Has Been Marked By Some Of Its Darkest And Most Challenging Moments, Which Have Threatened The Viability And Future Of Al-qaeda's Central Leadership. The Gravest Such Development Has Been The Emergence Of Islamic State As A Separate And Rival Jihadist Entity. The Best Way To Gauge Zawahiri's Response To These Threats Is By Studying The Official Statements And Public Communiqués That He Has Issued Since Taking The Reins. This Book Provides The Reader With Professional Translations Of Zawahiri's Key Statements During His First Five Years As Leader Of Al-qaeda. These Official Communications Are Introduced And Contextualised To Provide The Reader With A Comprehensive Sourcebook, Outlining The Al-qaeda Leadership's Stance On The Challenges To Its Existence Since The Death Of Bin Laden.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates how Ayman al-Zawahiri navigated the survival and strategic evolution of Al-Qaeda following the death of Osama bin Laden. Donald Holbrook, a researcher specializing in terrorism and political violence, utilizes a primary-source approach to analyze the leadership tenure of Zawahiri. By examining official communiqués and public statements issued during the first five years of his leadership, the author constructs a framework for understanding how the organization responded to internal fragmentation and the rise of the Islamic State.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- A collection of professional translations of key statements issued by Ayman al-Zawahiri between 2011 and 2016.
- Contextual analysis of Al-Qaeda's strategic shifts in response to the emergence of rival jihadist entities.
- Historical documentation regarding the organizational challenges faced by Al-Qaeda's central leadership.
Scope Limits
- The analysis is restricted to the first five years of Zawahiri's leadership and does not cover subsequent developments.
- The text focuses primarily on official public communications rather than covert operational intelligence.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts in the field of counter-terrorism identify this work as a valuable primary source collection for researchers studying jihadist rhetoric and organizational survival. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which serves as a specialized reference for understanding the internal ideological conflicts within the global jihadist movement.
Page Count:
291
Publication Date:
2018-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190911174
ISBN-13:
9780190911171
International relations
Military History
Middle Eastern