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<p>Since September 11, 2001, the United States and its partners around the world have  significantly damaged al Qaeda's organizational structure, transforming what was once a  robust terrorist network into one that is disaggregated and much less effective. Despite  losing a considerable portion of its leadership in the war on terror, al Qaeda remains  supportive of insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it continues to perpetuate the  Salafi-Jihadi ideology throughout the Middle East and beyond. As we continue to pursue  a strategy aimed to further dismantle al Qaeda's leadership, we must consider, what  happens if we succeed? What should we expect to happen to the central organization if  we kill or capture top-tier al Qaeda leadership such as Ayman al-Zawahiri or Osama bin  Laden? Will the organization continue to be a threat without a recognizable leader? This  research seeks to examine under what conditions a social movement organization will be  effective without a leader. Advisors and scholars alike have dichotomous opinions  regarding the potential effectiveness of leaderless social movement organizations. Social  movement theorists have yet to examine leaderless organizations through the lens of their  models. By examining leaderless social movement organizations in terms of the political  process model, we will gain a better understanding of why leaderless structures may be  more effective for some organizations and less effective for others. This research will  expand the existing body of social movement literature and provide a theory for  predicting the potential effectiveness of leaderless social movement organizations.
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<br>Subjects: Terrorism; Military art and science; Strategy</div>
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Low, Brian C.</div>
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