Following the massacre in Nairobi there’s been a spate of commentary about whether al-Qaeda has become stronger or weaker.

However, there’s little common agreement among commentators on what al-Qaeda is, which of its various affiliates and associated organisations should also be termed “al-Qaeda”, and what criteria should be used to assess strength or weakness.

You can be more informed by reading the following four think-tank reports, which all came out in the past month. They cover very similar territory to each other, but take differing approaches.

Jihadist Terrorism: A Threat Assessment
Bipartisan policy Center
9 September 2013

The al Qaeda Network: A New Framework for Defining the Enemy
American Enterprise Institute
10 September 2013

A New Index to Assess the Effectiveness of al Qaeda
Quilliam Foundation
12 September 2013

Al-Qaeda’s Global Footprint: An Assessment of al-Qaeda’s Strength Today
Henry Jackson Society
27 September 2013

Enjoy. Meanwhile, it doesn’t look like I’ll be returning to regular blogging soon.