1. David Ronfeldt is a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research organization, and the author of "Al Qaeda and Its Affiliates: A Global Tribe Waging Segmental Warfare?"

2. Al Qaeda and its affiliates comprise an information age network, but they, too, operate like a global tribe: decentralized, segmental, lacking in central hierarchy, egalitarian toward kith and kin, ruthless toward others.

3. The project includes civil, electrical and mechanical works for a two–km, at–grade10–lane freeway road connecting Abu Dhabi’s Mina Zayed area with Saadiyat Island and the main, 1.5 km long bridge and two, 200 meter off ramps on the island. «We anticipate making the contract award within the next two months with an eye on construction commencing in the final quarter of this year,» said Mubarak Al–Muhairi, managing director, TDIC. «When completed, access provided by this main bridge will result in a five–minute drive from Abu Dhabi city to Saadiyat.» Construction of the bridge — which will be the main gateway to Saadiyat Island, which is being transformed into a strategic international tourism destination — is expected to take around 36 months to complete. «The bridge has been designed as a concrete box girder carrying five lanes of traffic in each direction as well as two future passenger rail system tracks and will be built using segmental technology,» explained Lee Tabler, CEO, TDIC.