# What is Al-Qaid's strategy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 23, 2002, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-al-qaids-strategy/125159 "2002-08-23T00:14:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-al-qaids-strategy/125159/21 "2002-08-24T04:10:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JasonG \* > **Also, I think we DO have to try to improve the quality of life for poor Muslim countries, because though anyone can fall victim to radical fundamental religion (even here in the U.S.), certainly poverty plays a role.** Agreed. While I think the article linked has some amazing insights, the main point with which I would disagree is the suggestion that no environmental or external factors make a difference (US foreign behaviour, poverty or whatever). A powerful fantasist is all very well but he is going to get treated as a loony by most people. He is only going to thrive when there are a bunch of people who are sufficiently angry or upset about something that they are going to be so desperate as to look to a fantasist loony such as OBL for answers. \*\* > [@](#): > > Basically, unless someone has a better theory, it looks like Al-Qaida wants to poison us, blow us up, and nuke us, and even with the greatest military in the history of civilization, and allied armies around the world… there is **nothing** we can do to stop them. \*\* I think this is unduly pessimistic. I also suspect that OBL is more interested in making a splash than body count. Though obviously the latter leads to the former very often. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-al-qaids-strategy/125159/22 "2002-08-24T04:31:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JasonG \* > **Also, I think we DO have to try to improve the quality of life for poor Muslim countries, because though anyone can fall victim to radical fundamental religion (even here in the U.S.), certainly poverty plays a role.** Agreed. While I think the article linked has some amazing insights, the main point with which I would disagree is the suggestion that no environmental or external factors make a difference (US foreign behaviour, poverty or whatever). A powerful fantasist is all very well but he is going to get treated as a loony by most people. He is only going to thrive when there are a bunch of people who are sufficiently angry or upset about something that they are going to be so desperate as to look to a fantasist loony such as OBL for answers. \*\* > [@](#): > > Basically, unless someone has a better theory, it looks like Al-Qaida wants to poison us, blow us up, and nuke us, and even with the greatest military in the history of civilization, and allied armies around the world… there is **nothing** we can do to stop them. \*\* I think this is unduly pessimistic. I also suspect that OBL is more interested in making a splash than body count. Though obviously the latter leads to the former very often. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2002, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-al-qaids-strategy/125159/23 "2002-08-25T15:20:52Z")
**Cervaise** _said:_ > [@](#): > > I don’t know what “Qaeda” means. “Bunch of fuckers,” maybe. I love that. ---
**Author:** ![papertiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce73a5/32.png) [@papertiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papertiger)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-al-qaids-strategy/125159/24 "2002-08-26T11:46:38Z")
I was thinking of Dennis dqa. Does Randy have a brother called Al too? ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-al-qaids-strategy/125159/25 "2002-08-26T13:44:02Z")
Why has no one theorized scenerio’s if OBL is in fact dead. I surmise this has a little less to do with OBL as it does the organization he has created. I’d also assume that like Saddam’s son, OBL’s son is just as cunning and dangerous as his dad. I also must agree with a previous poster, the WTC tragedy was just a “hey look what we can do” kind of gesture. I think that is the climax of horror for that group. At least for quite a few years, if ever again. It has become next to impossible for OBL’s group to get together again. And it has been a very long time since we have seen any kind of tape from him. I seriously doubt they have the means for the kind of destruction we saw almost a year ago. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-al-qaids-strategy/125159/26 "2002-08-26T19:31:32Z")
In the interview with bin Laden, he states a belief that his attacks on the US were intended in part to get us to withdraw from Saudi Arabia. His reasoning is that killing 269 Marines was enough to get us out of Lebanon, and the killing of a few others enough to cause us to withdraw from Somalia. So he at least may have been able to convince himself that we would roll over if he made a big and spectacular enough attack on us. The fact that we did not does not phase him, as Allah is on his side, but that may have been part of his intention all along. A very interesting article. I suspect, like most human motivations, that bin Laden was acting for a number of reasons. Some are clear to him, others not. Regards, Shodan [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-al-qaids-strategy/125159.md?page=1)