Discursive construction of the enemy

This paper seeks to study the discursive construction of the United States of America as an enemy of al Qaeda through the speeches of Osama bin Laden, the organisation's recognised leader, based on Roxanne Lynn Doty's discursive practices approach. The speeches of 1996, when the leader declares war on the American country, and 2007, when the conversion of the United States to Islam is presented as the only alternative to obtain peace, were taken as a reference to analyse the way the United States has been represented over time by this group, giving rise to a particular reality that justified and made possible the use of violence by the organisation against the country. The main method adopted to carry out this work was discourse analysis, using as its main source interviews, statements, letters, audio and video transcripts of Osama bin Laden, made public by newspapers, magazines and government agencies.