But al-Qaeda – the word means “the base” or “the camp,” that is, nothing more or less than a point of gathering and training – is more like a blurred sphere of influence, comprising individuals and small local cells that act on their own initiative and cooperate very rarely, and only for large-scale operations. It has not been proved that the attacks in London, Madrid, or Bali in the years since the September 11 plot, or the attack on America’s warship the USS Cole in 2000, reflected the existence of a “center” that coordinated the operations or gave orders to carry them out.
但al-Qaeda—这个词的意思是“基地”或“营地”，也就是说它仅仅是一个让人集中并受训的地点—更像是一个令人琢磨不透的影响力圈，其主要构成是个体成员和许多自行其是，除了大规模行动外，极少合作的小型本地基层组织。至今没有证据表明“9•11”阴谋之后的若干年里发生在伦敦、马德里或巴厘岛的恐怖袭击，或在2000年对美国军舰“柯尔号”发动的袭击，反映了一个协调行动或下达行动指令的“中心”的存在。