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<p>In 2007, the Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) emerged  after the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) aligned itself with Al-Qaeda.  This development captured the world's attention and led several scholars and  policymakers to ask the question: Why did this merger take place and what does it say  about the motivations of GSPC? This research investigates three hypotheses: (1) This  merger is merely an ideological one without operational implications; (2) this merger is  ideological, operational, and logistical; or (3) this merger is merely a rebranding of a  failing organization that needed to survive and, therefore, is not a genuine threat to the  United States and its European allies. Exploring the evolution of Algerian Islamism, from  the rise of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) and the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) to the  GSPC and AQIM, this study concludes that hypothesis 3 is the best explanation of the  merger between GSPC and Al-Qaeda.
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<br>Subjects: Terrorism; Islam</div>
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Hajji, Khalifa.</div>
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