--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Al Qaeda has come back. Al Qaeda is a…" description: "\"Al Qaeda has come back. Al Qaeda is a resilient organization. But they're not here in large numbers. But al Qaeda doesn't have to be anywhere in large ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/075/john-r-allen-19772_al_al-qaeda-has-come-back-al-qaeda-is-a-res_2944781.jpg" --- # Al Qaeda has come back. Al Qaeda is a resilient… ![“Al Qaeda has come back. Al Qaeda is a resilient organization. But they're not here in large numbers. But al Qaeda doesn't have to be anywhere in large numbers.” quote by John R. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/075/john-r-allen-19772_al_al-qaeda-has-come-back-al-qaeda-is-a-res_2944781.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/075/john-r-allen-19772_al_al-qaeda-has-come-back-al-qaeda-is-a-res_2944781.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/075/john-r-allen-19772_al_al-qaeda-has-come-back-al-qaeda-is-a-res_2944781.jpg) > “Al Qaeda has come back. Al Qaeda is a resilient organization. But they're not here in large numbers. But al Qaeda doesn't have to be anywhere in large numbers.” [John R. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-allen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Al Qaeda remains a threat despite reduced numbers; resilience does not require large size. **In simple terms:** Al Qaeda is still dangerous even if small. Key Takeaway Stay vigilant and adapt security measures. Themes security terrorism resilience Mood alert strategic Type security policy When to use this quote - policy planning - intelligence analysis - public awareness campaigns Key Concepts asymmetric warfare radical networks Questions to Reflect On - What signs indicate a resilient small terrorist cell? - How can societies balance security and civil liberties? A Different Perspective Small groups can be harder to detect and may shift tactics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Large numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/large-numbers/) [Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization/) [Resilient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resilient/) ## Related quotes > [Al Qaeda doesn't abide by the Geneva Conventions, so in my opinion, they should not be afforded the protections of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-thor/al-qaeda-doesn-t-abide-by-the-geneva-conventions-so-in-my-opinion/) [Brad Thor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-thor/) > [The worst nightmare for al Qaeda is to come into a community that feels supported and has hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-graham/the-worst-nightmare-for-al-qaeda-is-to-come-into-a-community-that/) [Lindsey Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-graham/) > [And I know your next move, I watch you so much, 'There's been no proven link between the secular state of Iraq and al-Qaeda!'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-miller/and-i-know-your-next-move-i-watch-you-so-much-there-s-been-no-proven/) [Dennis Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-miller/) > [Certainly there’s a connection between Iraq and Al Qaeda. It doesn’t surprise me at all that they would be talking to Al Qaeda, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/certainly-there-s-a-connection-between-iraq-and-al-qaeda-it-doesn-t/) [Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/) > [When you talk about Al-Qaeda it doesn't matter if he's Syrian or American or from Europe or from Asia or Africa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/when-you-talk-about-al-qaeda-it-doesn-t-matter-if-he-s-syrian-or/) [Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/) > [We don't want the Taliban to put down roots, or the al Qaeda to put down roots in Afghanistan that can facilitate Afghanistan becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-allen/we-don-t-want-the-taliban-to-put-down-roots-or-the-al-qaeda-to-put/) [John R. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-allen/) > [Al Qaeda has significance beyond its numbers, frankly. And so for us, our 24-hour-a-day objective is to seek out those al Qaeda cells. And,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-allen/al-qaeda-has-significance-beyond-its-numbers-frankly-and-so-for-us/) [John R. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-allen/) > [Success means eliminating Al Qaeda's ability to launch terrorist attacks against the United States and our allies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-greitens/success-means-eliminating-al-qaeda-s-ability-to-launch-terrorist/) [Eric Greitens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-greitens/) > [Mistreatment of al Qaeda members and their friends and hangers-on is something I number among my moral concerns. But it's number 1,000,000,001.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/mistreatment-of-al-qaeda-members-and-their-friends-and-hangers-on-is/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Bin Laden is dead, and most of his friends are dead. But did it need to cost a trillion dollars and two land wars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/bin-laden-is-dead-and-most-of-his-friends-are-dead-but-did-it-need-to/) [Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/) > [That is because the conflict with al Qaeda is not governed by the Geneva Conventions, which applies only to international conflicts between states that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/that-is-because-the-conflict-with-al-qaeda-is-not-governed-by-the/) [John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/) > [And beyond that, the next issue is how do we guarantee one of these weapons, not necessarily this missile, but nuclear weapons ends up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-eagleburger/and-beyond-that-the-next-issue-is-how-do-we-guarantee-one-of-these/) [Lawrence Eagleburger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-eagleburger/) > [There are many causes of violent deaths in America - murders and traffic accidents - that we do not approach with the same 'no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-c-blair/there-are-many-causes-of-violent-deaths-in-america-murders-and/) [Dennis C. Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-c-blair/) > [Searches of al Qaeda sites in Afghanistan, undertaken since American-backed forces took control there, are not known to have turned up a significant cache…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/searches-of-al-qaeda-sites-in-afghanistan-undertaken-since-american/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [If the practice is torture for the al Qaeda operative who masterminded the killing of three thousand Americans, why weren't there court-martials in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-a-rodriguez-jr/if-the-practice-is-torture-for-the-al-qaeda-operative-who/) [Jose A. Rodriguez, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-a-rodriguez-jr/) ## More by John R. Allen > [There is a direct line relationship between what happened in Afghanistan in the work up to 11 September 2001 and what we're doing in Afghanistan today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-allen/there-is-a-direct-line-relationship-between-what-happened-in/) [John R. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-allen/) > [And across Afghanistan, every single day, Afghan soldiers, Afghan police and ISAF troops are serving shoulder-to-shoulder in some very difficult situations. And our engagement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-allen/and-across-afghanistan-every-single-day-afghan-soldiers-afghan-police/) [John R. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-allen/) > [Afghanistan is going to be here a long time, and what's critical is that Afghanistan's relationship with its neighbors are, to the maximum extent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-allen/afghanistan-is-going-to-be-here-a-long-time-and-what-s-critical-is/) [John R. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-allen/) > [The best thing I ever did was give my family everything I could.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-allen/the-best-thing-i-ever-did-was-give-my-family-everything-i-could/) [John R. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-allen/) > [I seek as much as I can to mitigate risk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-allen/i-seek-as-much-as-i-can-to-mitigate-risk/) [John R. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-allen/) > [One would think that if you're anonymous, you'd do anything you want, but groups have their own sense of community and what we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-allen/one-would-think-that-if-you-re-anonymous-you-d-do-anything-you-want/) [John R. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-allen/) > [There are problems in the world today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-allen/there-are-problems-in-the-world-today/) [John R. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-allen/) > [We dont want the Taliban to put down roots, or the al Qaeda to put down roots in Afghanistan that can facilitate Afghanistan becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-allen/we-dont-want-the-taliban-to-put-down-roots-or-the-al-qaeda-to-put/) [John R. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-allen/) > [You know, great powers don't get angry, great powers don't make decisions hastily in a crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-allen/you-know-great-powers-don-t-get-angry-great-powers-don-t-make/) [John R. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-allen/) > [We dont see that the Taliban ultimately can succeed, and its a combination both of what the international community can do to support Afghanistan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-allen/we-dont-see-that-the-taliban-ultimately-can-succeed-and-its-a/) [John R. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-allen/) > [Donald Trump has no credibility to criticize me or my record or anything that I have done. If he had spent a minute in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-allen/donald-trump-has-no-credibility-to-criticize-me-or-my-record-or/) [John R. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-allen/) > [I can't spend a lot of time worrying about the numbers at home. I've got to focus on the mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-allen/i-can-t-spend-a-lot-of-time-worrying-about-the-numbers-at-home-i-ve/) [John R. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-allen/) > [None of us wants any more war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-allen/none-of-us-wants-any-more-war/) [John R. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-allen/) > [The thing that I'm always left with is this overwhelming desire for people to be rooted and the only way that they feel rooted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-allen/the-thing-that-i-m-always-left-with-is-this-overwhelming-desire-for/) [John R. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-allen/) > [Al Qaeda has significance beyond its numbers, frankly. And so for us, our 24-hour-a-day objective is to seek out those al Qaeda cells. And,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-allen/al-qaeda-has-significance-beyond-its-numbers-frankly-and-so-for-us/) [John R. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-allen/) [Explore all 32 John R. Allen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-allen/) ## More Al quotes > [I like 'The Usual Suspects'. Great film. I also like 'Scarface', films like that. Lots of gangster films. I really like watching all kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barkhad-abdi/i-like-the-usual-suspects-great-film-i-also-like-scarface-films-like/) [Barkhad Abdi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barkhad-abdi/) > [Al Jazeera is a representation of, you know, diversity in the Arab world. In our newsroom, we have every single nationality, we have every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wadah-khanfar/al-jazeera-is-a-representation-of-you-know-diversity-in-the-arab/) [Wadah Khanfar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wadah-khanfar/) > [If the practice is torture for the al Qaeda operative who masterminded the killing of three thousand Americans, why weren't there court-martials in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-a-rodriguez-jr/if-the-practice-is-torture-for-the-al-qaeda-operative-who/) [Jose A. Rodriguez, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-a-rodriguez-jr/) > [Searches of al Qaeda sites in Afghanistan, undertaken since American-backed forces took control there, are not known to have turned up a significant cache…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/searches-of-al-qaeda-sites-in-afghanistan-undertaken-since-american/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [Nobody had race savvy like Al Unser in his prime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-andretti/nobody-had-race-savvy-like-al-unser-in-his-prime/) [Mario Andretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-andretti/) > [There are many causes of violent deaths in America - murders and traffic accidents - that we do not approach with the same 'no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-c-blair/there-are-many-causes-of-violent-deaths-in-america-murders-and/) [Dennis C. Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-c-blair/) > [If you want to join the Republican party, they have to let you in. There's nothing they can do about it. I mean, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/if-you-want-to-join-the-republican-party-they-have-to-let-you-in/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Brian came back in on the road and Al stayed, but Al's the original member of the group.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-johnston/brian-came-back-in-on-the-road-and-al-stayed-but-al-s-the-original/) [Bruce Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-johnston/) > [News is the backbone of our network; the main commodity and the main successes of Al Jazeera came out of our involvement in covering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wadah-khanfar/news-is-the-backbone-of-our-network-the-main-commodity-and-the-main/) [Wadah Khanfar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wadah-khanfar/) > [And beyond that, the next issue is how do we guarantee one of these weapons, not necessarily this missile, but nuclear weapons ends up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-eagleburger/and-beyond-that-the-next-issue-is-how-do-we-guarantee-one-of-these/) [Lawrence Eagleburger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-eagleburger/) > [I started, actually, as an analyst on African affairs, mainly on Al Jazeera. I remember the first few series were about Saudi students, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wadah-khanfar/i-started-actually-as-an-analyst-on-african-affairs-mainly-on-al/) [Wadah Khanfar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wadah-khanfar/) > [That is because the conflict with al Qaeda is not governed by the Geneva Conventions, which applies only to international conflicts between states that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/that-is-because-the-conflict-with-al-qaeda-is-not-governed-by-the/) [John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/) > [Bin Laden is dead, and most of his friends are dead. But did it need to cost a trillion dollars and two land wars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/bin-laden-is-dead-and-most-of-his-friends-are-dead-but-did-it-need-to/) [Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/) > [Mistreatment of al Qaeda members and their friends and hangers-on is something I number among my moral concerns. But it's number 1,000,000,001.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/mistreatment-of-al-qaeda-members-and-their-friends-and-hangers-on-is/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Success means eliminating Al Qaeda's ability to launch terrorist attacks against the United States and our allies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-greitens/success-means-eliminating-al-qaeda-s-ability-to-launch-terrorist/) [Eric Greitens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-greitens/) Browse all 218 Al quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Al Qaeda has come back. Al Qaeda is a resilient organization. But they're not here in large numbers. But al Qaeda doesn't have to be anywhere in large numbers.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John R. Allen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-allen/al-qaeda-has-come-back-al-qaeda-is-a-resilient-organization-but-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Al" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-allen/al-qaeda-has-come-back-al-qaeda-is-a-resilient-organization-but-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/075/john-r-allen-19772_al_al-qaeda-has-come-back-al-qaeda-is-a-res_2944781.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/075/john-r-allen-19772_al_al-qaeda-has-come-back-al-qaeda-is-a-res_2944781.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/075/john-r-allen-19772_al_al-qaeda-has-come-back-al-qaeda-is-a-res_2944781.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Al Qaeda has come back. Al Qaeda is a resilient organization. But they're not here in large numbers. But al…” — John R. Allen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "John R. Allen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-allen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Al Qaeda has come back. Al...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-allen/al-qaeda-has-come-back-al-qaeda-is-a-resilient-organization-but-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-allen/al-qaeda-has-come-back-al-qaeda-is-a-resilient-organization-but-they/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```