This issue presents three articles which assess the contemporary character of Al Qaeda, the brand synonymous with transnational terrorism: (1) Cornelis de Waart and Abu Dawud al-Amriki compare the nature of jihadist authority among the AQC and other key decentralised and often autonomous actors within the Salafist-jihadist movement, such as ‘Islamic states’ in various theatres; (2) Nur Aziemah Binte Azman shows how the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has gained support online despite being disavowed by AQC in February 2014, and notwithstanding its dreadful reputation on the ground in Syria; (3) Andrew Mitzcavitch sketches ways in which AQC and its regional affiliates have seemingly adopted Mao Zedong’s ‘Three Stages of Revolutionary Warfare’ in its strategy for advancement.