Book Review: Barak Mendelsohn, The Al-Qaeda Franchise: The Expansion of al-Qaeda and its Consequences
| Date | 01 November 2017 |
| Published date | 01 November 2017 |
| DOI | 10.1177/1478929917718155 |
| Subject Matter | Book ReviewsInternational Relations |
632 Political Studies Review 15(4)
Warsaw Mechanism – may warrant extension
into its own part in future editions. Part VI is an
assorted bag, with chapters on adaptation,
forestry and agriculture, climate-induced migra-
tion and disaster law. Finally, Part VII provides
discussions of international climate law from
the perspectives of particular states or state-
groups – the US, China, India, the EU and the
Alliance of Small Island States, among others.
The only significant fault of the Handbook
owes not to what it includes, but to what it omits.
Alas, it is a sad fact that print publishing plods
along at a much slower pace than that at which
climate change law develops. For this reason, the
Handbook contains no real discussion of the all-
important December 2015 Paris Agreement – a
hole that prematurely dates the book. (The pub-
lisher could rectify this, at least partially, by offer-
ing supplementary material online.) Of course,
fully understanding the Paris Agreement requires
understanding the legal, institutional and norma-
tive frameworks in which it was conceived. And
for this, there is perhaps no better resource than
The Oxford Handbook of International Climate
Change Law.
Ross A Mittiga
(University of Virginia)
© The Author(s) 2017
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DOI: 10.1177/1478929917714965
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The Al-Qaeda Franchise: The Expansion
of al-Qaeda and its Consequences by Barak
Mendelsohn. New York: Oxford University Press,
2016. 274pp., £18.99 (p/b), ISBN 9780190205614
The meteoric rise of Islamic State in Iraq and
Syria (ISIS) raises daunting questions about the
impact of the branching-out strategy employed
by Al-Qa’eda. In this seminal 10-chapter book,
Barak Mendelsohn uncovers Al-Qa’eda’s organ-
isation choices in its expansionist goals and how
they have facilitated its alleged decline.
In re-asserting its relevance and domi-
nance, Al-Qa’eda adopted a branching-out
strategy which has been establishing world-
wide franchises since 2003. However, the
strategy proved to be damaging to its reputa-
tion with its affiliates deviating from
Al-Qa’eda’s core objectives of attacking the
United States, establishing a caliphate, and
uniting the Umma. Al-Shabaab and ISIS
defiantly pursued nationalist goals, which
created rifts among jihadist groups and led to
Al-Qa’eda and radical Islamic scholars
denouncing ISIS.
Mendelsohn’s qualitative study uses the
branching-out theory to explain Al-Qa’eda’s
tactical and organisational choices relative to
its imperialist goals. He argues that while
expansion is seen as a sign of strength and
development, franchising instead signalled
Al-Qa’eda’s growing weakness and he depicts
the branching-out strategy as a mere tool of
survival. Mendelsohn moves beyond explain-
ing the logic of the branching-out strategy
adopted by Al-Qa’eda and its drawbacks. He
reveals different phases of international terror-
ist group activity and shows how leadership
policy choices can incrementally lead to their
decline and ultimately their destruction.
The cases of Al-Qa’eda and ISIS have
shown in recent times that terrorist group lead-
ers lack the requisite management skills for sus-
taining an organisation over time. Al-Qa’eda’s
decision to attack the US without adequate
institutional and strategic capacity to survive
the backlash and ISIS’ unilateral and impulsive
decision to establish its caliphate have caused
both groups significant losses.
However, the fact that Al-Qa’eda could
influence the formation of a terrorist group like
ISIS through its franchise schemes and its abil-
ity to establish new branches in Asia despite
the countermeasures of states globally prove
the potency of the organisation. Hence, its
incapacity to launch significant attacks should
not be interpreted as a sign of weakness, as
Al-Qa’eda continues to inspire national terror-
ist groups around the world.
The Al-Qaeda Franchise serves as theoreti-
cal tool illuminating the rationale behind the
proliferation of terrorist groups. This book is a
significant addition to the literature on the multi-
causal explanations for the rise of terrorism, and
it will be an essential guide to scholars, experts
and students within the field for years to come.
Emeka Thaddues Njoku
(University of Ibadan, Nigeria)
© The Author(s) 2017
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DOI: 10.1177/1478929917718155
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