Bin Laden’s capture and death was of course headline news. With his passing, a historic page has turned, no doubt. He was the face of the enemy, an able figure head. Right now intelligence analysts are sifting through the cache of data he left behind to uncover the next plot, reveal conspirators or find clues as to the workings of the Al Qaida network.
But as important a role as Bin Laden had played over the past decade(s), there are others able and willing to take over leadership in that terrorist community. What’s more, plenty of seeds have already been sowed and have grown into an army of trained and motivated terrorists strewn across the globe. One might dispute the figures. But even if one singular cell or a lone wolf amongst the thousands of recruits who passed through Bin Laden’s training camps succeeds in pulling off one attack, it can be said that Osama is still winning albeit from the grave. Even absent a successful attack, the fact that we are obliged to remain vigilant, spending our money and resources to fight the War on Terror, means the terrorists have in a sense already won.
Seeing as we have no choice but to be vigilant and that the enemy and its resources know no boundaries, it will only be through intense global cooperation with the combined efforts of intelligence and law enforcement ranging as far afield as does our enemy, that we will succeed. Yes, the notion that terrorism will likely continue to plague us is a bummer. But sharing information and experience in an increasingly global world may well yield unforeseen rewards.
