Sunday, March 07, 2004

According to a story linked at the Drudge Report US Spec Op forces are closing in on bin Laden. This is good news, to be sure. The question that remains, however, is what happens after bin Laden is captured or killed? Modern American culture tends to fixate on personalities. We choose our leaders based as much on their charisma as on their qualifications (just ask Joe Leiberman). We spend millions of dollars on tabloids that tell us what our favorite celebrities are up to. Once bin Laden is out of the picture, will many Americans see the war on terror as being over? Was our endgame "getting" bin Laden from the beginning? Will many of us view this war as if it were a game of Stratego where the game is over when we have catured the enemy's flag? Sadly, I fear that there are those who will fall into this trap. Unfortunately, bin Laden's capture or demise will not signal the end of the war. We are not at war with one man, or even one organization. The extremists who follow bin Laden will soldier on without him. New leaders will emerge and new terrorist organizations will form. We will have to continue to take the war to the terrorists. There is no quick end to a war of attrition. The exit strategy for such a war is simple: outlive your enemy.

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