(by Franco Iacch) One cannot try to understand the phenomenon of terrorism without studying one of the most charismatic figures of al Qaeda. Influenced by the works of Sayyid Qutb, the creator of anti-Western jihadist thought, al Awlaki quickly became the main fan of the extreme fundamentalist line. He wrote numerous essays that can be defined as the guide for extremists of Islamic origin, a sort of bible of the lone wolf who consecrates himself to martyrdom. He understood the fundamental importance of the internet as a tool for spreading anti-Western culture and recruiting new cells, opening a blog, a Facebook page, a Youtube channel and became the first Inspire columnist. I consider the issue of Inspire released in March 2011 to be of fundamental importance. Al Awlaki had a clear vision of the jihadist ferment in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, Arabia, Algeria and Morocco, ignored by the West. On Inspire, al Awlaki had already predicted that the West's complacency after the Arab Spring would create widespread instability, new geographic openings and opportunities for al-Qaeda. In his latest editorial on Inspire al Awlaki he asked himself: "Is the West aware of what is happening?"
