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Last week, online media outlets used by radical Islamists posted a new message by al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. In it, al Qaeda - employing language clearly informed by the "Arab Spring" - presented a common mission for Islamists worldwide, representing its first credible attempt to reorient the Arab transformations toward its vision for the region. Zawahiri's previous statements on the Arab Spring had been verbose and unremarkable, seemingly detached from the actual challenges facing Arab societies. His last communication, however, is concise, and seeks to imbue his organization with new initiative. It is not the first time that radical Islamism has attempted to change the terms of policy and discourse to its advantage.

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