Al-Qaeda and International Relations policy

The terrorist organization al-Qaeda was founded in 1988 partly as a result of the rise of Islamism, and the Soviet-Afghan and Gulf Wars during which the U.S. implemented its power and influence throughout the Middle East. Al-Qaeda is a terrorist organization that uses suicide bombing as a means of attacking its enemies.  Liberals may have trouble analyzing al-Qaeda because they believe that human nature is good and that international groups can cooperate to maintain peace.  Al-Qaeda has no interest in cooperating or negotiating with the United States or the rest of the Western world. It is also hard to argue that human nature is good when studying this terrorist organization because it targets innocent civilians. Realism is also somewhat incompatible with the study of al-Qaeda because it only recognizes states as actors in international relations. Because radicalism focuses on class, capitalism and the international economy, it does not relate directly to the main ideologies behind al-Qaeda which focus on Islam as a political system and the encroachment of secular, Western ideology. The international theory that seems to best encompass al-Qaeda is constructivism because it asserts the importance of identity in international relations. Al-Qaeda’s religious, Muslim identity essentially defines it, and identity also defines the organizations enemies.