Al Qaeda, Trends in Terrorism, and Future Potentialities: An Assessment

This article assesses current trends in terrorism and future potentialities. It examines first the presumed state of Al Qaeda today with particular reference to its likely agenda in a post-Iraq War world. It then more broadly focuses on some key current terrorism trends in order to understand better both how terrorism is changing and what the implications of these changes are in terms of possible future attacks and patterns. The discussion is organized along three key questions: (1) What is the state of Al Qaeda today and what effects have nearly two years of unremitting war had on it? (2) What do broader current trends in terrorism today tell us about future potentialities? (3) How should we be thinking about terrorism today and tomorrow?‐