The Global Strategic Review, the annual conference of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, took place in Geneva, Switzerland, on 9 to 11 September 2011.
The Global Strategic Review, the annual conference of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, took place in Geneva, Switzerland, on 9 to 11 September 2011.
We should not assume that Al Qaeda is defeated. It still poses a threat to world peace, says Richard Whelan.
This article first appeared in the 3 May 2011 edition of The Irish Times and is reproduced here with their kind permission.
ANALYSIS: The death of the figurehead leader of al-Qaeda does not presage the end of the worldwide campaign of terror he inspired
OSAMA BIN Laden’s legacy is that the ideology of al-Qaeda will endure. Al-Qaeda is a group of like-minded people, not a global military structure directed from a notional centre. In fact, the “Arab spring” we are witnessing is a much greater threat to al-Qaeda than the loss of its figurehead, iconic though he may have been.
To understand the significance of bin Laden’s death, we need to take a few steps back.
This article first appeared in the 28 November 2008 edition of The Irish Times and is reproduced here with their kind permission.
The atrocities committed in Mumbai are a reminder that al-Qaeda has not gone away. It remains as determined as ever to kill, maim and terrorise to advance its cause, writes Richard Whelan.
This article first appeared in the 6 August 2008 edition of The Irish Times and is reproduced here with their kind permission.
Al Qaeda – having made Afghanistan almost ungovernable – is poised to also destabilise Pakistan, says Richard Whelan Continue reading
This article first appeared in the 28 December 2007 edition of The Irish Times and is reproduced here with their kind permission.
Benazir Bhutto’s assassination eliminates an obstacle to the sustained success of al-Qaeda, writes Richard Whelan.