Crime and Justice International Magazine - Sam Houston State University

Although appearing to be a simple task, determining the entity’s current state of being requires extensive analysis. Specifically this requires first unpacking what an organization actually looks like. Stojkovic et al. define an organization based on three important factors: structure, purpose, and activity. With this, an organization can be viewed as a bureaucratic structure with a rigid hierarchy of offices and an established division of labor as characterized by Weber (1947). This, of course, was historically accurate, but given the multiplication of nebulous entities potentially defined as organizations there may be more appropriate options. Stojkovic et al. also outline the importance of purpose in an organization. Here they detail the quickly emerging complexities in defining the entity’s purpose. For the purpose of this paper, Al Qaeda’s goals will be measured against Etzioni’s (1964) definition of organizations as “social units deliberately constructed and reconstructed to seek specific goals” (p. 5). Finally, in looking at Stojkovic et al.’s definition of an organization, the third essential factor for consideration is that of the group’s activities. Specifically, one question that should be answered is whether the organization itself carries out activities or if there are conglomerate entities that act on behalf of the group itself. Graphically speaking, are the group’s activities solidly connected to the subgroup’s activities or can the relationship be represented as a dotted line? All in all, the totality of the above three factors will be considered in review of Al Qaeda’s activities.

In Afghanistan, JI established links with the burgeoning al Qaeda movement, led by the then mostly unknown Osama bin Laden. Upon the end of the Jihad, the groups maintained and improved their ties, with al Qaeda providing operational support to JI. Personnel cooperation between the two groups, notably in the person of Hambali (though he is just one example) has led to a close working relationship. In 2000, JI conducted its first major attack with the assistance and support of al Qaeda in a series of bombings on Christmas Eve, killing 18 and wounding many others. In 2002, on the anniversary of the USS Cole attack in Yemen, al Qaeda provided the funding necessary to carry out the most destructive bombings in Indonesian history, now known as the Bali Bombings. The attack involved coordinated bombings inside and outside a popular night club, ensuring many of the fleeing patrons would be killed. In addition, there was a small bombing outside the U.S. Consulate coordinated to detonate at nearly the same time, causing only minor damage. All told, the attack killed 202 people and wounded 209.