Samenvatting

Organization is the topic of this article by Maarten Rothman & Erik de Waard. They make a comparison between al-Qaeda and the virtual organization as described in management literature. They find many similarities, from Osama bin Ladens leadership style to problems of communication and control. A virtual network is flexible, and so resistant to attack, but it also places constraints on the power and influence exerted by its central command. In the case of al-Qaeda, its appeal to the Muslim population of the Middle East, its core constituency, and to Muslims elsewhere, may be compromised by ineffectual or brutal attacks conducted by groups associated with, but not actually commanded, by Bin Laden.