Introduction
Islamic States in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda are groups of terrorists that have caught people's consideration because of their fierce extremist actions in the entire world. The fame and rise of the groups are linked to the robust and firm leadership of al-Baghdadi and bin Laden. The two terrorist leaders had a similar purpose of ruling and leading. It is essential to understand that different ideologies guided the two leaders. A necessary quality for an organization's success is efficient governance and the capability to converse appropriately with the subjects. The two terrorist groups' leaders possessed this crucial feature that allowed the dominance and growth of their groups. The paper purposes to systematically contrast and compare the communication and leadership methodologies of Osama bin Laden, the former Al-Qaeda leader and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the notable ISIS leader.
Osama bin Laden
Perhaps, people view Osama bin Laden as the CEO of terrorists. He applied modern management and business administration techniques, which he studied at the college and in the construction of his family commerce, to run the intercontinental Al-Qaeda group. In the 1990s, bin Laden worked how the administrators of international cooperation did all through part of the mechanized domain- specifically, scheme and execute a bendable new structural strategy and framework integrating many intensities of both bottom-up and top-down tactics. He had demarcated particular objectives, given out guidelines, and confirmed they are accomplished in his top-down approach. Generally, that is how the terrorist group arranges its performances: usually high tasks such as the bombing of the East Africa embassy, and attacks of September 11 (Messerschmidt & Rohde, 2018) . However, he also worked as a venture capitalist, funding promising proposals, inspiring creative approaches, and soliciting ideas from beneath.
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Bin Laden operated in at least four levels. First is the element of professional cadres that is most dedicated in the terrorist group; the individuals trusted with the spectaculars. They carefully selected these teams, generously funded and given specific instructions. He also used trained amateurs. For example, Ahmed Ressam, in 1999 December, was arrested at Port Angeles shortly after arriving in the U.S. with volatile materials in his car. Having went to the Armed Islamic Group, Ressam had a terrorist background (Messerschmidt & Rohde, 2018) . He was provided with a modicum of essential training in Afghanistan after joining the Al-Qaeda. However, contrasting professional cadres, Ressam had only open-ended directives before the dispatch to the United States. He and the terrorist cell members to which he was allocated in Afghanistan resolved to attack a foreign consulate or an airport in America. He acquired 12,000 in germ money and anticipated raising the rest of the work funds through minor thievery from tourists. But, as inept and ill-prepared as the trained amateurs can be, their capability to succeed once and thus to cause destruction and pain should never be dismissed.
Osama bin Laden also made use of like-minded terrorists and guerrillas. He embraced existing terrorist groups or insurgents gained for many years from either his spiritual guidance or largesse. They could have gotten Al-Qaeda training, had material, arms, and other assistance from the organization to further the purpose of worldwide jihad. Such philanthropy was planned to connect the energy of geographically dispersed, disparate associations and ensure that Al-Qaeda operators can call on those groups for the workforce and logistical services. Bin Laden viewed that the U.S. was ever ready to preserve the status quo and ensure the longevity of morally bankrupt regimes. For Al-Qaeda and in Laden, as for terrorists and guerrillas, winning is not losing.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
The legacy and spectacle of al-Baghdadi as a jihadi may outshine or equal Osama bin Laden's. He became the leader of the ISI after its 42 leaders had been captured or killed. Under the leadership of Baghdadi, the terrorist group became the most significant jihadi organization globally, surpassing Al-Qaeda, its former partner. In 2014, his influence increased when Muhammad al-Adnani, the group's spokesperson, pronounced that it had revived the caliphate. It was a goal that the universal jihadi movement had purposed to attain since its foundation years ago. Baghdadi was able to turn the vision into a reality. It is an accomplishment that will encourage upcoming jihadi for decades – probably more than any of his jihadi generations (McCants, 2015). Future jihadists can refer to a caliphate project that was attained in their lifetimes.
Baghdadi continued with the organizational philosophy of his forerunner, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, by being present in its propaganda. Baghdadi led ISI for nine and half years and later became the lead of ISIS. The IS and Baghdadi believed that the terrorist group was required to be more uncompromising with its rivals. It explained the totalitarian and monopolizing strategy of the group when it resurfaced as a significant force around 2012 and 2014. Baghdadi was ruthless in private and self-effacing in public. He oversaw the group commit genocide against its male people, sensual enslavement of Yezidis, Shaitat destruction of Syrian Sunni tribes people, and the Speicher genocide against Iraqis (Gerges, 2014). Baghdadi also personally tortured and raped the American humanitarian worker and activist Kayla Mueller. Many other people were subjected to daily physical and emotional abuse by followers under his rule.
Comparison
The activities of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Osama bin Laden had many ideological comparisons. The two terrorist frontrunners efficiently mobilized and radicalized their cohorts to undertake jihad that they viewed as an armed struggle and a spiritual war that Allah has acknowledged (Atwan, 2015). Bin Laden and al-Baghdadi claimed that they realized Islam was under threat and that they were defending the teachings of Islam against the people hostile to it. That was the reason behind why they have conducted battle against the West, and particularly the U.S. The war has had antagonistic impacts on the Western countries and the entire world due to the many terrorist attacks; the most recalled one is the 9/11 attacked undertaken in 2001 by the Al-Qaeda . Even though these two leaders are relatively different from one another, they have the same ideologies and principles of power that were severe for the operational administering of their establishments. Their groups' main objectives and aims cannot be attained without their excellent leadership abilities, such as efficient announcement and the capability to impact terrorist groups.
Additionally, both bin Laden and al-Baghdadi had a resolution with a perfect strategy to manage their terrorist groups. The two wisely deliberated and actualized a flexible agenda and strategies, incorporating several levels in the other groups. The methods of operations were on top-notch and enabled them to issue defined guidelines, goals and ensured that they had executed consequently (Messerschmidt & Rohde, 2018). For example, in laying the foundation of Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden used four vital principles. These are guerilla warfare, opening a worldwide terrorist linkage, a contracted structure to a calculated and planned path, and finally, a cell organization involving terrorists who were highly radicalized. Another leadership similarity between the two leaders is that they possessed essential and enough monetary funds that funded their tasks and had a central responsibility in the training and recruitment undertakings.
Prominently, in communication using social media, al-Baghdadi and bin Laden had similar ways. The two had many groups unified in the different Arab Nations; thus, effective communication had an essential role in planning productive strategies and targets (Mintz et al., 2019). For instance, they utilized many channels, broadcasted and written on media. That means of communication used by the two leaders influenced several people. The use of violent assaults by Osama bin Laden compounded with planned audiovisuals and conferences aired to the entire world demonstrated how the leader was influential in the terrorist group (Mints et al., 2019). In the 1980s, back in Afghanistan, Osama Bin Laden had sufficient exposure in the media . Both Baghdadi and bin Laden spent their time on the hideouts. Thus, it was a bit hard to play their leadership roles effectively in their terrorist groups. The part of bin Laden was significantly reduced during his last year, and from an operational standpoint, he became irrelevant. Momentarily, Baghdadi was murdered after the defeat of ISIS militarily and debarred from regions under its control in Iraq and Syria. But Baghdadi did not have the moral authority that bin Laden had.
Moreover, al-Baghdadi knew how unsurpassed to hold in the times just like Osama bin Laden. Al-Baghdadi was first an ISI member, and far along, he was recognized as the leader of the terrorist group. Baghdadi seized gain of the Syrian battles that empowered him to increase his influence in the nation (Tønnessen, 2015). Al-Baghdadi collaborated with Abu Muhammad in Syria and created the Nusra Front, and unluckily, the cooperation did not become productive due to a few misunderstandings (Tønnessen, 2015). Later on, he merged with two other terrorist sets to form the ISIS. But Ayman al-Zawahiri ordered Baghdadi to tear apart the merge because the Al-Qaeda group and he were unhappy with the unification. However, Baghdadi disregarded the orders and went ahead to declare himself as the novel caliph. Afterward, ISIS made tremendous versatility and recruiting that influenced Iraq and Syria to grow tremendously (Baken & Mantzikos, 2016). Baghdadi to ISIS could have been less compared to the assassination of bin Laden on Al-Qaeda.
Contrast
In 1988, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was only 17 years when Osama bin Laden publicized the formation of Al-Qaeda. When bin Laden calls for responsibility for the attacks on 11th September, Baghdadi was at a Baghdad mosque serving as an anonymous preacher. Bin Laden was born in 1957 while Baghdadi was born in 1971; the generational difference between the two leaders influenced their path. The circumstances for the birth of Al-Qaeda differ from the ones surrounding the formation of IS in 2013. Even though it is tempting to compare Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's assassination to bin Laden's, it is good to remember that the two happenings and their effects on the two terrorist groups are quite different.
Two factors helped Osama bin Laden to play an essential role in Al-Qaeda while still hideout. First, his historical account of the Afghanistan war and the fame he attained during the war empowered him to lead worldwide terrorism. Next was his capability to communicate and get attention, as showed in his numerous speeches. On the contrary, Baghdadi did not have any of these factors. His major accomplishment was transforming the terrorist group that functioned in Iraq into a more significant movement that began operating in Middle Eastern nations.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is considerably distinguished from Osama bin Laden due to his ability to stay anonymous without revealing his background and identity. Al-Baghdadi stayed for long in the hideout because he had brilliant, adequate security that enabled his operations (Gerges, 2014). Contrasting the former Al-Qaeda leader, al-Baghdadi rarely made any audiovisual announcements. He did not grant any person an interview, and no one had confirmed his real name until when he made his leading open advent in a video show after five years (McCants, 2015). In contrast, bin Laden propagated his messages using the media. He often used jihadist websites and forums to reach out to numerous individuals through which he spread public executions and videos and images of brutal killings.
Moreover, the recruitment techniques of bin Laden and al-Baghdadi are contradictory. Al-Baghdadi’s main target was to radicalize and enroll Muslims who were young and energetic, unlike Osama bin Laden who sent forms to volunteers to apply if they were interested in joining the Al-Qaeda group. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi used media channels such as Facebook or Twitter for communication to young audience targets (Gerges, 2014). Reports propose that many members of ISIS ranged between the age of 18 and 35 years.
Conclusion
The two terrorist leaders, al-Baghdadi and bin Laden had the relevant leadership skills that lead to the success of ISIS and Al-Qaeda. But the two terrorist leaders do not qualify to be good leaders because their actions and motives were inhuman and led to the destruction of properties and massive loss of lives. The two leaders had similar ideologies of proper strategic planners, global jihadist, and many others. Markedly, their differences in leadership are apparent. For example, Osama bin Laden would often use social media despite hiding for an extended period. On the other hand, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi seldom used the press, and only a few individuals were aware of his whereabouts hence became the most wanted person globally. Most significantly, there were remarkable differences in how they conducted their recruitments. The relevant authority should try to curb terrorism and provide a favorable environment in the world as it has slowed the U.S. economy.
References
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McCants, W. (2015). The Believer: How an introvert with a passion for religion and soccer became Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State . Brookings Institution Press.
Messerschmidt, J. W., & Rohde, A. (2018). Osama bin Laden and his jihadist global hegemonic masculinity. Gender & Society , 32 (5), 663-685.
Mintz, A., Chatagnier, T., & Samban, Y. (2019). Terrorist decision-making: A leader-centric approach . Routledge.
Tønnessen, T. H. (2015). Heirs of Zarqawi or Saddam? The relationship between al-Qaida in Iraq and the Islamic State. Perspectives on Terrorism , 9 (4), 48-60. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/26297414.pdf
