Is bin Laden’s death, coupled with the Arab uprisings, the ‘true beginning of the end for the radical, medieval, imperial and dictatorial ideas with which al-Qaeda proposed to reorganize the world’? Columnist Bartosz Weglarczyk of Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza writes that with its safe havens quickly disaapearing and its ideology falling into widespread repute, the writing is on the wall for al-Qaeda.
For the Gazeta Wyborcza, Bartosz Weglarczyk writes in part:
In the fight against terrorism symbols are of fundamental importance. Al-Qaeda will continue and will probably launch yet many attacks, but 2011 is the beginning of its end.
That bin Laden was found by the Americans just several dozen kilometers from Islamabad means that al-Qaeda can no longer rely on a safe hiding spot anywhere in Pakistan. Americans not only sent a group of Navy SEALS deep into Pakistan territory; they did so without incurring any losses. The image of Osama, who was always photographed near or with a rifle at his side, was thus further undermined.
Osama bin Laden couldn’t have been concealed so deeply in Pakistan without the knowledge, consent and protection of Pakistan’s ubiquitous military intelligence, the ISI. According to diplomatic wires recently disclosed by WikiLeaks, Americans consider ISI a veritable terrorist organization.
This is an ominous sign for al-Qaeda, since it means that yet another country has ceased being a safe haven for the group. During the coming weeks, al-Qaeda will certainly try to prove that it remains a serious force. But bin Laden’s death and the pro-democratic revolutions knocking consecutive Arab leaders off of their seats of power constitute a true beginning of the end for the radical, medieval, imperial and dictatorial ideas with which al-Qaeda proposed to reorganize the world.
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