Publication

This paper examines the decline of al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI), its causes and course as well as lessons learned. The author argues that AQI is only a shadow of its former self, primarily because Iraq's Sunni population rejected it after more than three years of cooperation. Anger over radicalism among Sunni tribesmen, tactical mistakes and infighting, among other factors, exacerbated its alienation from the Sunni population and incited a sectarian backlash. The author also investigates the relationship AQI has with the broader al-Qaida structures as well as identifying points of weakness that counter-terrorist efforts and the political process can exploit.