Foundation for Defense of Democracies

As the United States has ramped up its drone strikes in the tribal areas of Pakistan, al-Qaeda members have gone further inland, into cities like Karachi, and as far afield as Yemen, a chaotic country that gives them easier access to United States allies in the Middle East, Europe, and potentially the U.S. mainland itself.

In October 2010, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, al-Qaeda’s local affiliate in Yemen, nearly succeeded in sending several bombs packed into printer ink cartridges by international cargo to the United States.

As the United States has ramped up its drone strikes in the tribal areas of Pakistan, al-Qaeda members have gone further inland, into cities like Karachi, and as far afield as Yemen, a chaotic country that gives them easier access to United States allies in the Middle East, Europe, and potentially the U.S. mainland itself.

In October 2010, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, al-Qaeda’s local affiliate in Yemen, nearly succeeded in sending several bombs packed into printer ink cartridges by international cargo to the United States.

Foundation for Defense of Democracies Chairman R. James Woolsey served as U.S. Director of Central Intelligence from 1993 to 1995, in which capacity he followed al-Qaeda through its first attack on the World Trade Center, leading up to the period in which Osama bin Laden was based in Sudan.

In addition, FDD senior fellow and Long War Journal editor Bill Roggio follows al-Qaeda’s various plots and tactics as they evolve over time, and speaks regularly to military and intelligence officials responsible for addressing the threat.

FDD also employs senior fellow Reuel Marc Gerecht, a former CIA senior operative specializing in Middle East affairs, who has traveled widely in the region, and writes regularly for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post.