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The 'Irreducible Minimum': Al-Qa'ida in Iraq and the Effectiveness of Leadership Decapitation

Aug 2010, Vol. 155, No. 4
By David Strachan-Morris

Car and suicide bombings remain a regrettable feature of daily life for many Iraqis, despite the assassination of a number of high-profile Al-Qa’ida leaders. As in Malaya, Algeria and the Philippines, leadership decapitation has had only limited effect. Instead, the targeting of Al-Qa’ida in Iraq’s legion of emirs must be part of a wider strategy that incorporates political and economic tools to undercut the resilience of Iraq’s decentralised insurgency.