Al Qaeda's Recruitment Crisis

Osama bin Laden may still be at large, but his flock, it seems, is getting smaller: Under heavy pressures in Pakistan, al Qaeda is having difficulty attracting new recruits, according to The Guardian. The organization is increasingly relying on its affiliates in Yemen and North Africa, which are disorganized and have much less popular support. Apparently, attacks by CIA drones and disruptions of al Qaeda communications have lowered morale in al Qaeda’s “core,” which has been reduced to a senior leadership of six to eight men. The Guardian also reports that al Qaeda’s relationship with the Taliban is souring, increasing the chances of acquiring intelligence that will lead to bin Laden’s capture.