Last week I recommended a news story about the madrasa raid in Pakistan.

Stratfor is now reporting that Ayman al-Zawahiri was the intended target of this attack, which is said to have killed 80 people.

Initial reports suggested that he may have been hit. Now it is looking less likely, but he has not been heard from since the attack.

If Zawahiri is still alive, we should expect to see a new "proof of life" video within the next week.

This Stratfor article explores succession planning within al Qaeda Central.

In the interim, however, there is a question to be pondered: What if "proof of life" does not emerge? ... Supposing that al-Zawahiri could have been killed by the recent airstrike -- or will killed be by a future airstrike in the same region -- who might emerge to fill the power void?