The Death of Osama bin Laden

According to the Obama administration, al-Qaeda leader and financier Osama bin Laden has finally gone to a well-deserved grave. Fox News has initial reports that bin Laden was killed by a bomb dropped by U.S. forces approximately a week ago (1). The CNN website is running a banner stating that bin Laden "was reportedly killed in Afghanistan". However, in his address to the nation, President Obama stated that bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces in a raid on a secret compound in Pakistan. Apparently the government was awaiting DNA confirmation that it was in fact the terrorist mastermind who perished in the explosion. Details are extremely scetchy at this point, with many news agencies having little more than a small blurb announcing bin Laden's reported death. There is sure to be a flurry of activity surrounding this event (and probably more than a few who don't believe that it really happened), but I wanted to address the heart of the issue. Hang on to your hats, folks, because here it comes:

It doesn't really matter.

Now, when I say that, of course it matters in terms of morale for our troops as well as the short-term implications of bin Laden's followers' attempts at retribution. But the death of Osama bin Laden does very little to slow the advance of worldwide Islamism. Osama bin Laden was one of the greatest threats to the world... ten years ago. Now, thanks entirely to the sacrifice and bravery of the intelligence and military services of America and our allies, al-Qaeda has been reduced to inducing individual Muslims to go on random shooting sprees. Terrifying, to be sure, but not the way to win any sort of strategic goals. As dangerous as non-state actors like al-Qaeda can be, it is Islamic nations (and the traitorous actions some of our own politicians and media figures) that pose the truer threat to Western civilization. Iran, Turkey, and now Egypt are posed to do more damage than bin Laden's organization could have ever dreamed of achieving on their own. Indeed, that is why al-Qaeda and its ilk are so intent on gaining significant political power in the revolutions spreading across the Middle East.

The true threat of an organization such as al-Qaeda (which will still continue the jihad after the passing of their leader) is the number of concessions that we in the West are willing to provide in the name of "peace." Put another way, al-Qaeda is the stupid school bully who keeps poking you on the playground until you are willing to do anything to get him to leave. al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, along with all of their cohorts, cannot truly force us to do anything. What they can do is pester us until we are willing to give up ourselves. This is not full-scale warfare as much as it is Mafia-style extortion. When watching the old tapes of Osama bin Laden giving speeches that are bound to flood the Internet once more with news of his death, imagine him saying in an Italian accent, "I'm making you an offer you can't refuse." That is the essence of every speech and interview that was ever released.

What matters now is the big picture. Where do we go from here? Now that bin Laden is dead, does Obama claim victory in the War That Shall Not Be Named? In his address to America, President Obama made sure to distance bin Laden from any connection to Islam whatsoever. "Osama bin Laden was not a Muslim leader. He was a mass murderer," Obama said (2). So, will the President or his administration be asked to explain why bin Laden could point to the Koran as the explanation for his actions? Probably not. But we, as free and informed citizens, know the truth.

This was a tremendous victory for the United States as well as every freedom-loving man or woman on the planet. bin Laden was scum, but he was not alone in his convictions. We must address why he chose to abandon his life of luxury for a life of fear and poverty. So enjoy the good feeling while it lasts, because the fight is far from over.

References:
1. "Usama Bin Laden is Dead, Say Sources." Fox News.com; May 1, 2011. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/05/01/usama-bin-laden-dead-say-sources/. Accessed May 1, 2011.

2. "Obama addresses U.S. on death of bin Laden."  CNN.com Live; May 1, 2011. Accessed May 1, 2011.