Page
1 of 8
TEAM
#1
Item
1:
KeyQuestions
I.
Lines
of
Inquiry
and Key
Questons
A. We
propose
to
organize
our
initial
research around
three
over-arching questions, which
will
be
used
as
principal lines
of
inquiry.
1.
What
is the
history
ofal
Qaeda
and its
linkages
to
other
terrorist
entities
prior
to the
9/11
attacks?2.
What
can we
determine
through
a
comprehensive
examination of
all
evidence
now
available—synthesizing the
information
available
earlier
with
that
obtained
post-
9/1
1—regarding
the
planning,
preparation,-financing,
and
execution
of the
9/11
attacks-?
3. What is nowknownof the present
composition
of al
Qaeda
and its
affiliated
entities and
what threat
do
they
now
pose?
Each
of
these
lines
of
inquiry
is a
building
block
that
encompasses
many specific componentquestions.
We can
identify
some
of
these
component questions
at the
outset
of the
research,
and
they
are
listed below
as a
means
of
focusing
the
initiation
of our
research. However,
new
component
questions
will
emerge
from
our
discoveries
as our
research progresses.
Thus,
one of
the
aims
of the
initial
research
is to
identify
additional:
key
component questions
for our
research.One of the crosscutting issues to which we
will
pay close attention is al Qaeda's collaborativerelationships
and
connections with various other entities
because
these
factors
will
be
critical
in
assessing al
Qaeda's
means and capabilities for
future
attacks.
B.
The
following
is a
list
of
some
of the
key
componentquestions
that
will
be
the
focus
of our
initial
research:
1.
What is the history of al
Qaeda
prior to the
9/11
attack?
a.
What
are al
Qaeda's origins, ideological
roots,
doctrines,
and
worldview,
and how
have they evolved over time?
Who
have been its
key
functionaries?
How has it
recruited personnel?b. Whatattacksbefore
9/11
can we now connect with al
Qaeda,
either
operating
aloneor incollaboration with other terrorist groups?Howwere
they
carried out?c. With what other terrorist groups has al
Qaeda
been
affiliated,
either in
collaborative
operations or through
funding
and logistical support?
d. How has al
Qaeda
functioned
organizationally
and
financially?
c.
What
have
been
its
relationshipswithgovernments
or governmentcomponents
acting
outsidethe purview of
their
own political leadership,
including, but
not
limited
to
those governments
or
factions
that
provided
al
Qaeda
with
support
and
sanctuary?
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