Quote Originally Posted by slapout9 View Post
CWOT, IMO your missing it because you are looking at AQ as some type of business organization as opposed to looking at it as a family organization that does business.
I don't think so. I agree that it is ideology that binds these folks together. But, ideology binds better when there is money coming from the top. Bin Laden was successful because he disbursed funds to his underlings. Some will be devout until the end simply due to ideology. When Bin Laden ties, resources will get tight, ambition will breed discontent, and the family organization will have to adjust to stay alive. Ideology and shared suffering will keep the inner circle of AQ together. Beyond that, I'm not sure. Zawahiri doesn't have the same gravity as UBL and I'm uncertain how the Haqqani network will respond to a Zawhiri led AQ. I don't think the family will run the same. UBL rose to power because he didn't follow the family's wishes, especially the preferences of Azzam. What's to say another underling won't seek a new direction once Bin Laden dies?