"Ideal for both students of terrorism and general readers wanting to better understand modern terrorism, this book provides an in-depth look at Al Qaeda, including its origins, evolution, doctrines, structure, and terrorist operations. The authors examine Al Qaeda's operational transitions over the last two decades, and consider these changes in terms of the impact of the Internet, the viciousness of the violence employed, the leverage of colonial past, and the subsequent international implications. Particular attention is paid to Al Qaeda's changing strategies for growth and survival across the Middle East and Africa as well as the threats that it poses to the United States as it continues to evolve in the wake of the Arab Spring. The work addresses why Al Qaeda - -now both a professional force and a network of so-called "lone wolves"--Must remain a primary focus of the United States and other Western states while also recognizing that the threat of terrorism goes beyond Al Qaeda."---Publisher's website.

Introduction -- Origins and ideology of al Qaeda -- Al Qaeda: the evolution process -- Al Qaeda: the violence examined -- The funding and finance of al Qaeda -- The drive to survive: marketing and recruiting -- The Internet: the personalization of terrorism -- Yemen and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula -- Iraq and Syria: the evolution of al Qaeda in the land of the two rivers -- North Africa and al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb -- Conclusions: a look forward.