Al-Qaeda has had its brand value substantially improved after the London bombing and had I been head of this organisation, I would be a very rich man.
I would be able to manipulate market movements and sell my services to various industries that trade off asset values that are highly sensitive to changes in the sociopolitical environment.
The armament and allied industries have been hugely boosted. Hedge fund managers also have a field day when markets become volatile. Billions are made and lost when there are sudden and erratic movements in the market. As with surfers, derivative traders look for the biggest waves.
The constant reference to al-Qaeda cells should be changed to al-Qaeda franchises if one considers the business aspects of their operations.
This might all be conspiracy gobbledygook, but we do have enough evidence of the involvement of big corporates in the sponsoring of current day global terror and bloody coups.
The conviction of Mark Thatcher is one case in point. The Halliburton connection to the war in Iraq provides further evidence of corporate involvement. The billions sought by the Bush administration to create entities that would transform "hostile" governments that pose a threat to the "American way" provide further evidence of an attempt to create a market for al-Qaeda-type franchises that could sow structured mayhem to "rectify" situations.
The motive for worldwide terror lies more with the rich and greedy than with the unsophisticated and poor. Religious fundamentalism is also a red herring, in that religion always speaks to a specific economic arrangement.
If one needs to guess where the epicentre for al-Qaeda operations is, then surely Saudi Arabia stands out like the Rock of Gibraltar.
Shaun Langenhoven
Penlyn Estate