Absurd: The Impotence of Terrorism

Recognized as global enemy number one after September 11, Osama bin Laden has achieved none of his insane objectives in a decade of bloody business. The march toward a new Caliphate, consistent with his medieval conception of Islam, has not advanced a step. The Taliban, the only regime that nearly established this archaic utopia, was swept away in a few weeks and returned only to fight an endless guerrilla war. The hypocritical tyrants in the Muslim world he claimed to overthrow are all still in place. Dedicated to crime and suicide, his morbid organization has suffered the harsh blows of a more effective “war on terrorism” than people think.

As for his enemies, the “Crusaders,” they have diminished his strength in every way. The American military has established itself as a force in the heart of Dar al-Islam. Democracies that terrorists have tended to underestimate are doing neither better nor worse than before. Ultimately, his only tangible results are the deaths of a considerable number of innocent people – often Muslims – and to have made air travel more cumbersome. It is an absurd record for a man who says he invested in an historic mission. It is true that absurdity never discouraged fanaticism. So bin Laden, who can do nothing else, will continue to kill like a volatile barbarian who continues to run even when he has no head.