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PrintMay 2, 2011
Where We Were, Where We Are, and Where We Will Be
This great victory for freedom and peace brings the news that all Americans have been desperate to hear for nearly a decade, but this moment is about far more than the death of the mastermind of Al Qaeda.
This news could not have come at a more provocative moment; the Islamic regimes of Syria and Libya are in shambles and with both the current administrations historically more supportive of international terrorism than peace, the impact of this announcement could have dramatic effects on the regional structure. With the international head of Al Qaeda dead, will the terrorist strongholds in these countries fade, or surge with new momentum?
Despite the death of Osama Bin Laden the world's premier sponsor and mastermind of terror still looms large: the Iranian regime. What effects will Bin Laden's death have on the terrorist mentality in Iran? Will this news embolden Iran's Green Revolution to fight back against the tyranny and violence, or will the Iranian regime take this as an opportunity to become the world's literal and figurative leader in international terrorism?
Further it cannot be overlooked that Bin Laden was killed just several miles outside of the Islamabad, the capital of nuclear-armed Pakistan, with whom American relations have been steadily declining for years. This begs a plethora of questions regarding Pakistan's desire to eradicate terrorism from within its borders, and the reaction in just the next several weeks from radical Islamist communities in Afghanistan and Pakistan very well may determine the future of American and Western relations with both these countries. No doubt the terrorist organizations that run the tribal regions of Pakistan and much of Afghanistan will erupt in fury, but will the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan have the fortitude, or even the desire to prevent their resurgence to prominence?
How will Osama Bin Laden's death resonate in the fledgling nation that is the intermediate government of Egypt? No one knows just how powerful the Muslim Brotherhood, which has repeatedly embraced terrorism and war against Israel, America, and the entire West, will be in the newly formed Egyptian Democracy. Will this announcement signal to the extremists within Egypt that their efforts will never destroy the freedom for which America stands, or will in invigorate them to retaliate and further their activity in the longtime peaceful country of Egypt?
Over the next several weeks the world will watch carefully for retaliation around the world. In Israel, where terrorism has already been at its highest frequency in years, alert and concern will be extremely high. While Americans celebrate this joyous news tonight, tomorrow the country will be on high alert for a response from those who take this momentous occasion as a tragedy-those who stand for and fight for everything we oppose. Terrorism does not die with Osama Bin Laden, and in fact our fight might be as hard as ever. No one knows whether the death of Bin Laden will bring stability or chaos to the Middle East, and for now we all must fear the worst, and hope for the best.
No matter how many questions this historic event begs, we must never forget the answers we received tonight. The orchestrator of the most dangerous terrorist attack in United States history, and the leader of the world's largest terrorist organization has been killed by the United States military. We know that our struggle against terror is not over, but we also know that Al Qaeda and terrorism across the world will never be the same. And finally we know that forever we will hold one thing above those who continually vow our destruction; we are free, and we shall always overcome.
