I.
Key
Questions/Lines
ofInquiry
We propose to organize our initial research around three over-arching questions,
which
will be used as principal lines of inquiry:
1.
Whatis thehistoryof alQaedaand itslinkagestoother 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 thatobtainedpost-9/11
-
regarding
the
planning, preparation,
financing,
and
execution of the
9/11
attacks?
3.
What
is now
known
of the
present composition
of al
Qaeda
and its
affiliated
entitiesandwhat threatdotheynowpose?Each of these lines of inquiry is a building block that encompasses many specificcomponent questions.We can
identify
someofthese component questionsat theoutset
of
the research, and they are listed below as a means of focusing the initiation of ourresearch. However, new component questions will emerge
from
our discoveries as ourresearch progresses. Thus,one of theaimsof theinitial researchis to
identify
additionalkey component questions for our research. One of the crosscutting issues to which we
will
pay close attention is al
Qaeda's
collaborative relationships and connections with
various
other entities because these factors will be critical in assessing al
Qaeda's
means
and
capabilities
for
future
attacks.The
following
is a list of some of the key component questions 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, andworldview, and how have they evolved over time? Who have been itskeyfunctionaries?How has itrecruited personnel?b)What attacks before
9/11
can we nowconnect withalQaeda, eitheroperatingaloneor incollaboration with other terrorist groups?Howwere they carried out?c)With what other terrorist groupshas alQaeda been
affiliated,
eitherincollaborative operations
or
through
funding
and
logistical support?d) How has al Qaeda
functioned
organizationally and financially?
e)
What have
beenits
relationships
with governments
or
governmentcomponents acting outsidethepurviewoftheirownpolitical
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