From the Afghan resistance to Abbottabad: thirty years of al-qaedism

It is now well known that the roots of al-Qaeda date back to the Afghan revolt against Soviet occupation and to the aid given to the mujahideen in the 1980s by the US and its allies. In the ensuing decade the organisation broadened its goals and diversified its financing and means of fighting through a network of affiliated groups. The profile of al-Qaeda recruits has also gradually changed. In recent years, al-Qaeda has progressively lost support and broken apart as a result of its lack of a constructive vision and of any prospect of statehood, and its increasing internal discord. The Islamic State has taken its place in its embodiment of jihadist ideals. By proclaiming the emergence of the caliphate, it has transformed what had been for al-Qaeda a generic reference into a powerful means of recruiting.