(CNN) -- Ayman al-Zawahiri's coronation as the king of al Qaeda came with some anxiety over another major attack and a barrage of questions about the future of the terror network. Since 1998, al-Zawahiri had been Osama bin Laden's personal physician and one of his closest confidants, a steadfast deputy who eulogized his boss after his death last month in Pakistan. But it took this many weeks for an al Qaeda announcement on its new leader, and that suggested to some analysts that there had been head-bashing over who should take the helm. "It doesn't suggest a vast reservoir of accumulated goodwill for him," said Peter Bergen, CNN's national security analyst.
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It took many weeks for al Qaeda to announce its new leader
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That could be sign of disagreement over al-Zawahiri
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Al Qaeda is losing the war of ideas
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Al-Zawahiri lacks the charisma and oratory of Osama bin Laden
al Qaeda
al Qaeda
al Qaeda
Al Qaeda
Al-Zawahiri will have to overcome @placeholder's troubles in spite of his personal shortcomings.
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
He has been accused of being a micro-manager who is not a true ideologue in the vein of @placeholder.
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al Qaeda
al Qaeda
Al Qaeda
@placeholder has been opportunistic in claiming that the mass demonstrations fly in the face of Western powers, but in reality, Bergen said, the group has been rendered irrelevant in the events reverberating through the region.
Ayman al-Zawahiri
al-Zawahiri
al-Zawahiri
Al-Zawahiri
Roggio said that had bin Laden been killed shortly after the September 11 attacks, @placeholder would have been taking over a less mature organization and might have had a more difficult time moving it forward.