This report consists of three chapters and a concluding section. The opening chapter is an account of Harun's journey as an al-Qaida operative as he presents himself; it is also a discussion of the merits and shortcomings of the manuscript in providing reliable information about al-Qaida's activities. The remaining parts of the report focus on two aspects that feature prominently in Harun's account of al-Qaida: the first pertains to al-Qaida's ideology and the second to its organizational structure. With respect to ideology, which is discussed in chapter two, the report explores Harun's...

With both secular and Islamic governments, Southeast Asia is often portrayed as a representative model of progressive Islam, while also suffering longstanding Muslim separatist conflicts. The region has been the target of numerous terrorist attacks over the past decade, but the character and motivation for these attacks varies widely. Many of these attacks are rooted in national or regional ethnic struggles, but others reflect the grander Salafi-Jihadi ambition of building a regional or global caliphate. A significant component of future discord and collaboration in the region is tied the...