The Shutdown Changes Nothing about American Power

The strike against top terrorist Anas al-Libi in Libya strengthens the weakened president in Washington. At the same time, it reveals how strong the terror network in the Arab sphere is again.

Most fictions end fictitiously. One of them is that the current budget crisis in the United States is to be evaluated as a sign of its downfall. America’s power might not be the same as in the ’50s, but the U.S. is still capable of intervening anywhere in the world if necessary — or if it deems intervention necessary.

The strike against the Libyan al-Qaida leader shows that the word “shutdown,” which is on the tip of all tongues at the moment, in no way has to be connected to a cease of operations for American government employees. Alleged top terrorist al-Libi will likewise need to cease his handiwork for the time being.

His name has been on the FBI wanted list for a long time. Al-Libi is not only supposed to be one of the suspected terrorists on the African continent, but is also thought to be responsible for the bombings of the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, which killed over 250 people. His capture comes just at the right time for President Barack Obama, who is under attack on both domestic and foreign policy.

Victor in the Arab Spring

It reveals to voters that the U.S. president can be decisive in spite of all hesitation and can also produce successes. Furthermore, it reminds all offenders that they need to contend with America’s intervention at any time. Secretary of State John Kerry has pointed to this once and again: Terrorists can run, but they cannot hide.

Of course, the military actions and also the attacks on German diplomats in Yemen point to a grim fact: There may be some winners in the Arab Spring. Meanwhile, only a few realize that one of the primary winners in the region is al-Qaida. In almost all Arab nations where regimes have fallen or are faltering, terror cells have established themselves — from Libya to Syria. They will only be overcome when government control is established again. Almost nothing indicates that this will happen soon.