Hatred Deepens with Bin Laden Dead

With Osama bin Laden killed by American Navy SEALs in Abbottabad, Pakistan, America has claimed the victory on this chapter of the war against terrorism. However, does bin Laden’s death ensure the safety around the world? Many scholars are not exactly optimistic due to fears that al-Qaida will carry out bin Laden’s dying wish and take revenge on America and its allies.

According to sources, al-Qaida possesses the four following characteristics. First of all, al-Qaida is a mature terror organization with a concrete ideology, sufficient motives, abundant human resources and a solid multi-cellular structure. Second, it is on a mission. The main goal is to weaken America; all American citizens and their property, all military bases and embassies, and all American allies are targets of al-Qaida. Furthermore, al-Qaida is an organization of religious extremists. It is based on Islamic doctrine, founded in Islamic countries and consists of Muslim members. It is also a global terror organization. Its members are not found only in certain countries, but are scattered all over the world.

The news of bin Laden’s death did not cause al-Qaida to fall apart. We have seen no internal strife within the organization causing members to leave or surrender to America. Instead, the supporters of al-Qaida carried out protest demonstrations throughout the Middle East to express their will to avenge bin Laden’s death. Bin Laden’s death did not disrupt or dismantle al-Qaida. The organization remains calm, unified and ready to fight against America.

Now that bin Laden is gone, America should follow other countries’ strategy of collaboration on the war against terrorism and focus on tightening its relations with anti-terror allies, particularly Afghanistan and Pakistan. Since America bombed al-Qaida’s hideout in the mountainous terrain of Afghanistan, the organization rapidly expanded its influence into Pakistan. This made Afghanistan and Pakistan important allies of America. On March 27, 2009, America announced a new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. It reiterated that America would help destroy terrorist networks in Afghanistan and Pakistan, increase the democracy and efficiency of their governments and train their militaries and police forces.

America should continue its strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. America should immediately stop accusing Pakistan of having hidden bin Laden, as this speculation will not benefit its anti-al-Qaeda operations, but instead disturb the trust of its South Asian ally.

The success of the Navy SEALs did teach us an important thing: it is now the era of information warfare and technology that will determine who wins the war against terrorism. Since 9/11, the CIA and the FBI have been gathering information on bin Laden through all possible measures. After they found bin Laden’s messenger in 2004, they used satellites and spies to stalk bin Laden and finally confirmed his location in the end of 2010. Immediately, they drew a detailed map with the data collected by the military satellites, and the Navy SEALs conducted a drill of the raid.

During the operation, high officials including President Obama, the vice president and the secretary of state gathered at the war room in the White House to watch the live footage captured by the camera following raid members. This advanced technology allowed the commander to be fully informed of the situation in the frontline and prevent any damage to the unit.

There has not yet been a terror attack in Taiwan, but we must keep in mind that terrorism is a low cost, high return venture and it does not cost the terrorist much in money or human resources to create a threat to a large population. Even now that bin Laden is dead, we must stay alert and be ready for impending terror attacks. I urge the Taiwanese government to push research on international terrorism and make more use of the already existing Homeland Security Office. Meanwhile, it should actively promote an intelligence network, work on building international cooperation, train professional staff, and take concrete actions to prepare Taiwan for all forms of threats from terrorism.