The international terrorism landscape has changed dramatically during the past three years. First, Al-Qaeda has transformed from a group into a movement (as has been noted in the WAR Report for many months); second, the epicenter of international terrorism has shifted from Afghanistan to Iraq ; third, terrorist target selection include the Allies and the friends of the United States .

The most profound of these three developments is the morphing of Al-Qaeda from a group into a movement. With the dispersal of Al-Qaeda members and associate members from Afghanistan to lawless zones in the global south, three dozen Asian, African, Middle Eastern, and other local jihad groups are increasingly behaving like Al-Qaeda. About 20,000 members of these groups trained, armed, financed, and ideologized by Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan from Soviet withdrawal in February 1989 until US intervention in October 2001 are beginning to share Al-Qaeda’s vision and mission of a global jihad. Compared to the local jihad groups that traditionally attacked local targets, Al-Qaeda attacked the “distant enemy” – the United States. Post 9-11 , Al-Qaeda’s constant message to its associated groups was to attack both the “nearby enemy” — local governments — as well as the “distant enemy” — the US and its Allies.