what does this phrase mean?

Question

I cannot understand the pharse "its vision of an Islamic caliphate" in the paragraph below:
"America’s Vietnam War demonstrated that a single-minded focus on a specific “global” threat can distort more local realities. The role of superpower leads U.S. analysts and decision-makers to view international threats in global rather than local terms. Thus, the United States focuses on Al-Qaeda and its vision of an Islamic caliphate because it has the character of a “global threat”, however low-risk that threat might be."
what does that phrase mean? im not a native speaker.....

Answer 1

Caliphate in short terms means ruler of Islam, ths statement in the paragraph is saying that the US is focusing on Al-Qeada and its hope to become the ruler of Islam and the Islamic world.

Answer 2

The office or jurisdiction of a caliph (A leader of an Islamic polity, regarded as a successor of Muhammad and by tradition always male). The last caliphate was held by Ottoman Turkish sultans until it was abolished by Kemal Atat in 1924.

Answer 3

The Al-Quaida wants all the Islamic countries to unite under one leader: a caliph

Answer 4

A "Caliph" is a Muslim Religious leader who is believed to be a successor of Muhammad, the Islamic prophet who can be considered the Muslim equivalent of Jesus. These are some quotes from http://dictionary.reference.com:

-a spiritual leader of Islam, claiming succession from Muhammad.

-the civil and religious leader of a Muslim state considered to be a representative of Allah on earth; "many radical Muslims believe a Khalifah will unite all Islamic lands and people and subjugate the rest of the world"

So it means "its vision of an Islamic successor who will leader and unite the Islamic people" (with possibly adding "and will bring retribution upon those who do not recognize Allah as their God and creator)

Answer 5

al-qaeda wants to bring a new world order thats ruled by islamic laws, lead by a "khalifah" (religious leader, like pope for catolics)
so the phrase "its vision of an islamic caliphate" means "al-qaeda's end goal of a world ruled by an islamic leader"

Answer 6

just as a kingdom has a king,
a caliphate has a caliph or a ruler(this is arabic in origin.)
God bless,
gabe